Oh Danny Boy!
by Kidscomix
Summary: An M/M story. The hit list on supernatural creatures has everyone on edge so when Danny Mahealani's name comes up, it sends the teen into a nervous frenzy as he tries to discover his connection to the list. Enter into the picture a handsome new student, Zen Keylani, with secrets of his own. Will the gay teen discover what he truly is before he becomes the next target?
1. Chapter 1

_The Island of Kauai, Hawaii_

_The Town of Konaville_

Zen had not slept well; from the moment he woke up early this morning at four a.m., when David left the apartment they shared, until eleven o'clock this evening, he had searched the Benefactor's hit list on his laptop. He spent an hour, entering the secret code to the private website, mulling over the names of the targets that he came across and the various amounts attached to each one. That is when he saw an individual that caught his eye. A werewolf, an Alpha to be more specific; according to the description on the page, an exclusive $10,000 payout would be delivered if the job was completed. It was too good to pass up.

Checking his tools next to him which included a Chinese sword called a jian, several small daggers, an electrical saw, and a few silver bullets laced with wolfsbane next to a small pistol that he kept underneath his work desk; Zen was ready to carry out his objective. He rolled one of the silver bullets between his fingers-and then, paced inside his living room, packed his duffle bag with goodies before glancing down at his wristwatch to get ready to go out for the night. Padding to the bathroom mirror to groom one last time, he combed his short black hair with his fingers, massaged the tan features of his skin, and washed the redness from his dark eyes with water. Try as he might, he still could not relieve the swelling. He vowed to get more sleep to prevent further puffiness in the future.

Once he finished, he meandered toward the front door, carefully locked the entrance of his abode, even though the irony of having someone robbing his home would be considered a futile effort; he did not own anything of great importance or monetary value, and repeated a simple mantra to himself while turning the key inside to lock the door. He then shrugged his shoulders, kept the jian in a holster behind his back and stomped down the stairs to the Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle that awaited him in the parked lot of his complex.

Grabbing his helmet, he slipped it on, adjusted the straps to tighten underneath the base of his covering, and flipped the visor down. He gripped the handlebars of the vehicle, kicked the stand and turned on the ignition. The bike made a loud roaring sound and, in couple of seconds, Zen sped off.

It was quarter after eleven when he arrived at the location spot; he knew the Alpha selected the east side end of the island's rocky cliffs of the town to hunt for its prey. He knew the Konaville area well. The jagged ravines were known for its unstable land formations where the wild undercurrent of the waves crashed against the sharp reef edges below. Zen knew how dangerous this part of this landscape was but he had no other choice. He had to murder to Alpha in order to save the life of an innocent, his lover David Keylani. There was no other alternative. Passing a single silver sedan parked near a secluded area where the palms trees blanketed the vehicle in overcast, he waited near the road's barrier that protected drivers from the town's steep cliffs as he drove closer to see no one in the driver's seat. He decided to investigate.

Zen parked his bike near the sedan with newly pressed license plates that further proved the Alpha's need for anonymity-he was not impressed. Turning off the ignition, he set up his bike's kickstand and got off. Carefully undoing the straps of his helmet, he removed his protective covering, grabbed his duffel bag and began making his way down the steep cliffs to the beach below.

A full moon lit up the evening sky. He knew that Alpha would be near. The air was calm. No hint of a wind blew past him Zen could hear the sounds of the high tide rolling across the sand as he took his position with the jian near the edge of a large boulder of the north side of the town's beach. With his Bluetooth gadget in place, he observed through his infrared binoculars any signs of David.

"So far so good," he noted through his devices. He steadied his blade as he moved along the shoreline. "No sign of David or the Alpha yet." He scoured the wet sand. "Please God, still be alive." His voice whispered with concern. Waiting for a minute or two, he got on his communicator and called out to his partner. "David…David, you there?"

Nothing came on but static. Then a deep growl from the receiver alarmed him. He ears listened intently. The sounds grew louder. He dropped his communicator, placed his duffel bag in the sand and began rummaging through the satchel for its contents. His gun was the first to drop into his holster along with the silver bullets that pocketed into his pants. He slid several sharp knives into the various hidden compartments of his clothes and raced east toward the direction that the tide touched the bank of the sand much sooner.

The moon provided him light. His boots kicked up the grains of sand as he grabbed his infrared binoculars and saw someone swimming across the merciless waves and trying to escape the looming large gray beast that continuously darted near the water's edge. From his perspective, Zen could distinguish David struggling to tread water while the beast roared and prepared itself to attack the young man. In hindsight, the hunter knew that untamed waves of the sea served as a protective barricade against the creature as both boys concluded that the Alpha had a fear of water and could not swim.

Zen pulled out his pistol, observed the werewolf stretch its back, and with careful aim, fired a silver bullet into the side of the animal. The Alpha screeched in anguish. Blood and thick black lines spread across the skin. The hunter knew the deadly concoction was working. He fired another round, then another, and another. Four bullets total until each of the opaque markings scattered like a Rorschach inkblot across the hairy monster's flesh. Zen watched the Alpha fall into the sand, writhing in total agony. It rolled, scratched at the air, but no matter what it did, it could not heal against the heavy wounds inflicted by the hunter.

Seizing his opportunity, David swam toward shore. Frantically, he fought through the heavy waves, caught a bit of oxygen in his breath, and landed near the tide to grab his own pistol, soaking and drenched with water, in order to finish the task at hand. Droplets of water secreted from the barrel to the trigger and he steadied his gun and aimed it at werewolf. He fired.

However, the creature's glowing red eyes anticipated the gunshot. It jumped out of the way of the first silver bullet, dodged the second, but was unable to outmaneuver the third. The metal casing laced with wolfsbane struck the Alpha's shoulder as three more caught its thigh, chest, and shoulder. David emptied his gun and hurriedly tried to reload while his target roared in pain but the Alpha had one more bit of fight left in him. Lifting the sharp talons of his right claws, he drew his hand up, slicing David from mid-torso to neck. The seventeen year old did not stand a chance as the severity of his wounds caused the teen to drop to knees and land in the sand face up and with his eyes wide open. He bled out right out front of the Alpha.

"DAVID!" Zen screamed. Reaching behind for the jian strapped to his back, the lad unsheathed the blade from its holster and charged at the creature. Wounded and disoriented, the Alpha had failed to notice the hunter darting up behind him with a razor sharp Chinese sword clutched in both hands. The hunter leaped high, spun in a one eighty degree turn, and plunged blade into the animal's back.

The Alpha shrieked in pain, first with a bellowing howl then with a small guttural mumble. It crumbled to the ground, allowing Zen to force the jian even further and connect with the creature's heart. A few more twists and an enraged determination, the young man finally rammed the entire sword through. The bloody, beating organ pulsated for a bit then stopped before dropping into the sand. Seeing the most important part of him no longer functioning, the Alpha convulsed, shut his red eyes and toppled in front of the hunter. Zen watched as the werewolf slowly shifted back into his true human form completely bloody and dead. He raised his sword one more to ensure his body remained lifeless and decapitated the lycanthrope's head.

Reaching into his shirt, he removed the special pendant with a camera device and clicked away. Within seconds, his phone buzzed and he reached for it to look at the text message.

_Paul Montgomery. Alpha. $10,000 deposited into your account._

Zen turned off his phone and began to weep. He fell to his knees, crawled to his lifeless lover, and wrapped his arms around his bloody corpse. Crimson liquid stained soaked his nice clean shirt but he did not care as he sobbed for the loss of his only friend and person he loved the most, David Keylani.

"David, stay with me." He whispered. "Stay with me." His words fell on deaf ears. David lifeless eyes stared into nothingness and he gently closed the young man's eyes with his fingers and kissed the red stained skin of his brows. Soft hands caressed the dead boy's hair before Zen slipped David's arms around his shoulders and carried him toward the rushing tide. His feet plopped through the water, splashing large puddles around them until both teens were drenched in liquid. Then he waited. The heavy tide was coming and he could feel the strong current ready to carry them away. He planted one more kiss on the dead boy's lips and finally released him. "May the sea watch over you!" He prayed.

A huge rip current caught David's body, pulling him under. Zen swam against the waves, escaping the dangerous tide that claimed his lover's corpse and paddled until he got back to shore. Exhausted from fatigue, he managed to get to his duffel bag and pull out a small shovel as he dug a deep grave for the Alpha and buried his body deep within the white sands of Konaville. Hopefully, none of the residents would discover him. Once he had completed he tasks, he returned to his motorcycle and sped off toward his apartment to shower and change.

Half an hour had past. Even with the strength of the bourbon filling his throat, the alcohol did very little in masking the pain. He had to come to the realization that David was finally gone. Zen's body made an imprint on the couch as he placed the bottle on top of the coffee table and hugged himself again to have a good cry. He could not believe that he was now alone.

Forcing himself up, he stood on both feet and managed to stumble to his desk where he kept his laptop. He wiped away his tears, took a seat on the chair, and begin cracking the secret passwords to get into the Benefactor's site. Within a minute, he scrolled through the list again and noticed the name and the amount attached to his next target.

_$50,000. Danny Mahealani. Unknown Species._

Zen sighed. "David, forgive me." He whispered. Pressing a few stroke on the keyboard, he discovered his location.

Beacon Hills, California.

* * *

_Beacon Hills_

Whispers. Lydia Martin hated the whispers. The voices never stopped coming. They were more of a hindrance than anything useful. Plus, it always led to death. Lydia understood this but she knew she had to follow what the voices were instructing her to do.

She left the comfort of the Beacon Hills high school library where she stayed late to work on a paper to listen to a trail of whispers outside of the hallways and down the corridors that led to the facility's gym pool area. Her designer pumps clacked against the concrete, walked over the wet pavement, and crossed past the fence into the entrance where the smell of chlorine and blood filled her nostrils.

Her eyes scanned the dual pools to see the water filled with a scarlet stain and two bodies, one male and one female, floating to the surface.

She screamed.

Fifteen minutes later, Deputy Parrish along with Sheriff Stilinski and his team arrived to pull the bodies from the crime scene. Wrapped in a blanket, a nervous Lydia watched as the two corpses were wheeled away as the law enforcement officer began to ask questions from the young woman.

"So you didn't see anything?" Sheriff Stilinski asked her.

Lydia shook her head. "No. I was walking around and I came upon these two bodies in the pool."

"What were you doing at the pool area?" Deputy Parrish questioned her. "It's late. Nobody should be out here!"

The popular teen remained calm. "I had a research paper to work on so the principal let me use the school library at this time of night. It's one of the many perks of being considered the class genius. I needed a break so I took a walk and that's when I found the bodies."

"And you didn't see or hear anything?" The Beacon Hills sheriff inquired.

"No." Lydia emphasized.

Deputy Parrish was not buying her story. "Why is it that every time a dead body shows up, you happened to be in the area? Are you sure you're not some medium or psychic?"

She balked. "Get real. I don't read crystal balls or do tarot cards."

The sheriff decided to intervene. "Parrish, why don't you work with the coroners and give me a detailed report later? I got a specialist coming in."

"Is this the same specialist that worked on the case involving that dead kid Sean and his massacred family?"

"The same," sighed the Beacon Hills officer replied. "I've got this covered."

Deputy Parrish shrugged as he left the crime scene with the rest of team leaving Lydia alone with Sheriff Stilinski.

"Did you contact Scott?" He asked the banshee girl.

Lydia shook her head. "No. I was in state of shock that my first instinct was to call the police."

"Well don't." He advised. "The boys have enough on their plate with werewolves and some hit list on supernatural creatures. The last thing they need is another weird unexplained murder. Let's leave this to my department."

"How do you know it's not another supernatural killing?" She asked.

"It's always supernatural in nature."

Both Sheriff Stilinski and Lydia Martin jumped as a tall figure stood behind them. Derek Hale, brooding and imposing, folded his arms and stared at the pair.

"Jesus Derek!" The officer yelled at being startled. "You got to warn people when you do that!"

"Sorry," the werewolf replied.

"No kidding." Lydia inhaled. "I almost peed myself!"

Derek ignored her comment. "Anyway, I got a chance to look at the wounds before they bagged the bodies. They were teens."

"And freshmen!" Lydia added. "Plus, they were probably skinny dipping and having sex in the pool."

Sheriff Stilinksy scratched his head. "How do you know all this?"

She clucked. "Their clothes were scattered everywhere. I checked one of the pockets of their pants and found a school I.D. and a pack of condoms. Plus, I discovered them naked and floating face down." She shrugged. "I put two and two together."

"Thank you Sherlock Holmes." He said sarcastically. The Beacon Hills sheriff shook his head. "I'm sure you'd make Scooby-Doo proud."

"I'm more of the NCIS type." She retorted.

Derek exhaled, not wanting to interrupt their ridiculous bickering. "Anyway, I checked the wounds. They're definitely not human."

"Wolf related?" Sheriff Stilinki asked.

"No." He answered. "The cuts and abrasions are thinner. Werewolf claws are usually wider and cause much more damage. Plus, the heart was taken out and eaten and some bones were removed."

The officer flinched. "The organs were eaten out? Bones removed? We're talking cannibalism? Another Wendigo sighting?"

Derek shook his head. "I don't think so. From what I understand, Wendigos don't waste their food. They'll eat everything down to the very last bone. This one was only involved with removing and consuming the heart, almost like it was ritualistic. Plus, Wendigos hate water. I doubt they'll go near the pool."

"How do you know that it's not a werewolf?" The sheriff pushed. "By the way, where is your uncle, Peter? I haven't seen him since he murdered that mute. He could be a part of this."

"Peter left temporarily." The green eyed wolf stated. "With that hit list around, he skipped town and now is trying to track Cora and some of our relatives in South America to warn them. He won't be back for a while."

"Jackson?" He wondered. "I mean Stiles did say he was a canary-mah lizard thing."

Lydia corrected him. "It's kanima and he's not a lizard thing anymore. He's an Omega wolf now and his parents sent him to boarding school in London where he's keeping a low profile even if he is the only American werewolf in London. He's doing well. He calls me once in a while."

"Then what else is there?" The sheriff asked. "I've got a hit list, more supernatural creatures that I can handle, and unexplained murders to deal with." He sighed. "Tell me that there's something that I work with here."

"I don't know." Derek responded. "But right now, I'd keep an eye open to what's it been going on. With the hit list around and hunters trying to kill us, I'd watch my back to make sure that anyone might be suspect."

"Let's just hope there are not any more killings in this town." Sheriff Stilinski prayed.

Sadly, Lydia Martina and Derek Hale realized the truth. Living in Beacon Hills was a magnet for all things supernaturally related, especially involving murder.


	2. Chapter 2

Just before finishing his Shakespeare essay on _Hamlet_, Danny Mahealani was sitting across from is computer, with a stack of psychology and self-help books about father-son relationships all around him and stretching from one end of his desk to the other. His thesis was to make the connection between neglectful parents and the damaged caused to their children in their formative years; something, the Hawaiian teen knew all too well about.

Mr. Mahealani was in charge of corporate distribution. His profession was quite demanding that it required him to leave Danny home alone the majority of the time while he flew to various destinations to settle business accounts and to gather new clientele for the company he worked for.

Being the only child of a single parent, the gay teen learned to be independent an early age which left little time to build any real relationships. The ones he did form like his friendship with Jackson Whittemore became short-lived with his friends either transferring schools or resulted in a difficult break-up like he did with his ex, Ethan.

However, it was the fact that his last boyfriend was a werewolf that really became the deal-breaker. It was bad enough living in Beacon Hills where his sexual orientation made his an outsider in his community. It was another to learn that his town had been inhabited by supernatural creatures. It had all been too much. He wanted to revert back to his life of isolated normalcy.

He finished the last few keystrokes of his paper and sent them to print. The device hummed for bit before spitting out his written pages which he gathered, straightened and stapled. Once he slipped the stack into his backpack, he rummaged through his bag to find the leather cord accessory with a brass symbol pendant on it.

It had been gift from Ethan when they were together. He put it around his neck and slowly looked outside his window. As usual, his father called and informed him that he would be home next week. Mr. Mahealani had traveled to Australia to win over a new client which meant the teen would be eating a couple days of takeout again for dinner. He did not care. He adapted to his father's absences.

Noticing a half-moon lighting up the sky, he went to closet, selected a tight red shirt, and some tight jeans and headed out to his car, a Toyota Yaris. Danny needed some attention and some company and he knew exactly where to find it. At the only gay bar in town.

The Jungle.

The downtown Beacon Hills crowd seemed busy tonight. The Jungle was the GLBT hotspot and anyone of every sexual orientation came down to dance, mingle, and hook-up. With confidence, Danny moved past the long line of patrons waiting outside of the establishment and walked up to the doorman and bouncer.

"Hey Gio," he smiled. "Busy night?"

"Yeah, Dan," said the big guy. "Where's your boyfriend, Ethan?"

He frowned. "We broke up."

Gio sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that." He opened the entrance for him. "You have fun now, Danny boy!"

The teen thanked him. "I will." The door of the club opened for him and he entered its gates.

Flashing lights and hot sweaty bodies greeted him. The dance floor was busy as club goers of various sexual orientations and genders danced and reveled in the bass thumping sounds of the deejay playing techno-electronica pop music through the speakers. Danny marched down the stairs to the dance floor, ignored the shirtless guys that asked him to dance and headed to the bar where a cute bare chested bartender with blue eyes, and long curly brown hair acknowledged him.

"Alone again, Danny?" The bartender lifted an eyebrow as he already knew him by name. "Where's your new boyfriend?"

The teen exhaled. "We broke up, Ralphy."

Ralphy the bartender shrugged. "Another one, Danny boy?" He knew the young man all too well.

"It seems to be the story of my life." He muttered. He decided to change the subject. "How's Dina and the kids?"

"Ralphy Jr. and Sara are doing great. My Mom's watching them tonight so me and the wifey can work." The hunky bartender smiled. "As for Dina," he pointed to the back of an upraised platform above the dance floor where a group of go-go dancers strutted their stuff on stage. One in particular, a Barbie doll type blonde twirled around in a gold bikini. Ralphy beamed with pride at seeing his scantily clad spouse earning a paycheck as she accepted a couple large bills from the patrons below. "Looks like Dina is getting some big tips tonight!"

Danny giggled at the remark. For a heterosexual couple, Ralphy and Dina Kendrick appeared like the perfect married couple, picturesque and living the American dream, except for the fact they were working in a gay nightclub in barely there clothing and selling their looks for every horny customer around them. The Beacon Hills teen did not judge. They were one of the first people he befriended when he and his father moved to this quiet, all unassuming town and they did not condemn him when he came out of the closet at fifteen. Since then, they acted as surrogate parents whenever his father had to leave him alone to work. He was grateful that he had another support system to turn to.

"So what'll it be tonight? Ralphy asked the young man. "Club soda with a twist of lime or an energy drink with a few cherries added inside?"

Slapping a twenty on the counter, he shoved it toward his friend. "How about a Jack on the rocks? Oh and keep the change."

The bartender accepted the twenty and pocketed into his jeans. "How about a diet Coke with a lemon wedge?" Danny frowned but Ralphy was not having none of it. "Nice try, pal, but you're underage remember? I'm not contributing to the delinquency of a minor nor am I losing my job over it." Instead, he poured him a glass of soda and placed it in front of him. Danny slurped up the beverage. When he finally finished his drink, he noticed Ralphy's wife sauntering up to them.

Her blonde hair and face were drenched in sweat and she waved to her husband with a request. "Bottle of water. Please."

The bartender happily obliged. Reaching behind the counter, he pulled a small bottle of Evian and handed it to her. She slaked her thirst and allowed the wonderful refreshment to hydrate her throat. Ralphy observed his spouse as she finished her water and wiped away the perspiration from her forehead. "You were really cutting rug up there tonight."

"Anything that earns a paycheck," she giggled as she shook her bikini bottom that overflowed with dollar bills. "I'm guessing an easy three hundred so far and I'm just getting started." She turned to Danny who slurped the last contents of his soda. His eyes drifted somewhere else and she called him out on it. "Man trouble again, Danny boy?"

The teen was about to say something but her husband cut in.

"He broke up with another one."

Dina clucked her tongue. Her face contorted to one of concern. "Aww, Danny, I'm sorry to hear that." She reached a sweaty arm over the lad and hugged him. "Don't worry, you'll find someone else. You always do." She reassured him with a peck on the cheek.

"I wish it was that easy," he replied with another sigh. "I guess love is not on the cards for me."

Ralphy rolled his eyes. "I don't believe that." His tone seemed confident. "In fact, I think the cards are lining up for you right now." His big hands clutched the teen's shoulders from across the bar counter and turned him toward the edge of the corner where another young man sat a few feet away. Danny immediately noticed him staring back at him as the stranger's eyes suddenly averted toward the dance floor. He listened to his good friend providing some good advice in his ear. "That guy has been checking you the moment you sat my bar. He can't keep his eyes off you. Go talk to him."

Danny hesitated. Dina gave him a playful shove.

"Go on then!" She laughed. "Go get you some!"

His face shifted a little to one of nervousness. Swallowing the last big of pride, he put down his empty soda glass and began to walk toward the mysterious young man. Like one of those slow motion montages from some romantic comedy movies, his body moved liked water against the sea of music and pulsating lights as he pulled up a stool and sat next to the handsome boy.

The stranger smiled. Danny instantly noticed the exotic appearance of the lad from his heart shaped face that was perfectly symmetrical to the cool tones of his tan skin. From what he could assume from his looks, the teenager seemed to be about the same age as him with black hair, dark eyes, and a unique mix of European and Asian ancestry that fit nicely with his enigmatic mystique. He stood just a foot shorter than him, exhibiting a slender but toned appearance and wore a stylish trendy button up denim shirt that was rolled up a quarter at the sleeve up to his elbow. Flexing a bicep while clutching his drink, the alluring young man flirted with Danny as the teen shot him a come-hither look and made him want to know him even more. Tight khaki pants hugged his athletic legs and he accentuated the look with a pair of black combat boots that made him seem he could model for _G.Q._ or _Esquire_. Danny was instantly smitten. He decided to make the first move.

"Hi." Danny began with the most common greeting.

"Hello yourself." The stranger grinned as he drank what may or may not have been soda.

Unsure of what to do next, the Beacon Hills teen tried to form the next phrase of words. Luckily, the other party took the initiative.

"The name's Zen. Zen Keylani." He introduced himself. It helped to break the ice.

"Danny. Danny Mahealani." The Beacon Hills student replied. His heart pulsed rapidly with nervousness.

An awkward silence occurred between the two for a few minutes before Zen decided to forgo with the polite formalities.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"Sure." Danny nodded.

Leading the teen by the hand, Zen pulled him through the sea of bodies on the dance floor. Music and flashing lights surrounded them but the pair ignored all the passing distractions as the stranger guided him through the mass of sweaty bodies and toward a corner of the club where a screen had been placed to separate the patrons from the back of the establishment. The duo slipped through the opening, discovered how heavily secluded it was, and explored the rear hallways of the building where the lights were dimmed and shadows concealed them from the rest of the world. It mostly fortress of sound proof walls and hard brick but the pair, it became their special spot. They walked for a few seconds down a dark path, noticed the music slowing fading out, and glanced at one another for a second.

At this point, Danny decided know more about his companion. "So you live around here?"

"Just moved here." Zen smirked.

The teen was about to say something more before his mouth connected with the handsome stranger's. Their lips met. The kiss was electric. A surge of warmth shot through their bodies as their hands roamed, embraced, and explored every inch of their skin. Danny spun Zen around, slammed his back against the concrete wall of the club, and allowed his mouth to express his inner desires more as their kiss intensified and a flutter of butterflies tumbled in each of their bellies. It was strange, yet wonderful. Never had both felt so alive.

Danny's lips moved away from the young man's lips and caressed his neck as Zen's voice whispered something inside his ear.

"David…David…"

The name surprised the Beacon Hill student. He broke away.

"David!" He frowned in response. "Who's David?"

Zen blushed in embarrassment. A wave of guilt washed over him. He stuttered. "I'm sorry. I can't…I can't do this!" His eyes began to water. Moving away from the crushed teen, he gently pushed him away and sprinted toward the screen's opening. Danny chased after him. However the stranger was much faster. He quickly disappeared into the crowd leaving the disappointed teenager to meander back to his friends in humiliation.

Dina and Ralphy noticed Danny returning with a sad look on his face.

"Uh-oh." The bartender noted. "Looks like his trick of the night wasn't so successful."

His wife crossed over to the young man and hugged him. "Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. You guys weren't able to hook-up? Was it because you forgot to bring protection? It's okay. Better safe than sorry, I always say."

Danny curled his mouth. "No it wasn't that. We made-out a little, but I don't know, things got weird between us. He called me by someone else's name."

Slapping her brow, Dina rolled her eyes. "Ugh! I hate when that happens!" She shook her head. "You're better off, Danny boy. You don't need that kind of baggage."

"Speaking of which," said Ralphy who directed their attention to a quartet of bare chested guys walking up to the counter. Three of the men appeared to be of college age, good looking, young and athletic while their leader was a bald, bodybuilder type with a bit of fur on his chest. They eyed Danny with interest.

"Hey there." The bodybuilder introduced himself. "The name's Mark." His gruff voice held sense of sensual authority. "Me and my friends want to know if you liked to dance with us."

Danny glanced at Mark and then to his trio of attractive companions and grinned. "Absolutely." He got up off his bar stool and was about to join the gang of good looking boys when he felt Dina's hand slip something into his back pocket of his jeans. It had a crinkling sound and he immediately knew what it was just by guessing the contents of the wrapper.

"Some added protection." She whispered in his ear. "Just in case, you need it."

He thanked her and followed the shirtless foursome on to the dance floor. With the music pumping and the sweaty bodies swaying, Danny Mahealani felt right at home.

However, the person observing it all did not. He watched the teenager enjoying himself with a group of half-naked gym rats and recalled his name back on the Benafactor's hit list. Danny's Mahealani's name was on it and it was only a matter of time before he needed to be taken out.

Hopefully soon.

* * *

2:00 a.m. rolled around and last call was being announced. Bodybuilder Mark and his boys decided to take the party elsewhere. As the crowd separated, they pulled Danny to the side.

"Hey Dan!" Mark said to the teen. "We're still not done having fun. We know this spot by the lake where we can host a bonfire. You want to come?"

Danny paused for moment before seeing Ralphy and Dina cleaning up the bar. His mind had completely forgotten about Zen. The hot married couple gave him a look of encouragement to which he needed to accept his new friends' invitation. School did not start in a couple hours and even then he could use a little fun before to class. Why not live a little? "Sure, why not." He said to the group.

That was the answer they were expecting. The half-moon still showed though the early morning sky as they headed out of Jungle to Mark's pick-up truck parked in the lot. The three college boys hopped in the back while Danny got into the front seat with the bodybuilder. Soon they drove off and headed toward Aiwa Lake on the northeast side of the Beacon Hills county line.

It was a good fifteen minute drive on the outskirts of town. Aiwa Lake was one of the largest California basins that connected to the many tributaries that led to the Sacramento River, Yosemite's waterways and finally down to the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. As a popular camping ground for tourists who visit Beacon Hills county, Aiwa also had its many secluded areas for the teen residents to host wild parties, bonfires or simply act as the perfect make-out spot for young couples who wish to be alone. Bodybuilder Mark and his bevy of beautiful boys just happened to be one such group.

The pick-up truck pulled into a wooded area of the lake near the embankment as the three college guys hopped out of the back and began gathering wood to build a hearth. It took about ten minutes and soon a small fire was started. Danny nervously got out and joined his comrades as Mark pulled a crate of beer from the vehicle and began handing bottles to each one.

Lid caps were removed and soon everyone began to chug at the alcoholic beverage as Danny attempted to keep up. The strong bitter aftertaste dried up his tongue as he let out a cough and nearly choked on his own bottle. The others laughed.

"Looks like Danny here can't hang." Mark baited him. He slurped down his beer. "Guess you can't play with the big boys huh."

"I can too!" The teen said defensively. Fighting through the bitter taste of the beverage, he swallowed the liquid hard. His stomach rumbled. Drinking too fast was not a good idea. He did not have the experience of being a binge drinker. The liquid stayed at his throat and he tried to fight the pressure of having to regurgitate it back up. He stopped and put down the bottle to his side. Once again the echoes of laughter came from all sides. His head was spinning.

"You okay?"

The voices and inquiries vibrated in his head. He heard it shake. He could feel it tremble. Then his eyes began to see a double vision of everyone around him. He started to worry.

"Danny?"

Sounds and echoes of names blurred together. He tried to walk but stumbled as his fingers slipped and he dropped the beer bottle. The glass shattered the moment it struck a large rock on the ground. Forcing his eyes up, Mark and the boys shook all around him as tried to maintain control but his body started falling. Little by little, he began to piece the clues together.

He had been drugged. His new shirtless friends had put something inside his beer. He did not have to figure out their reasons. Their motives were quite clear.

Attempting to break into a run, he put one foot up but got nowhere. His legs failed him as the rest of his body descended to the ground. Leaves and dirt grazed his neck, blew across his face and became tangled in his hair as Mark's friends began to pull his arms up over his head and strip him of his t-shirt. Danny protested but all he could hear was the bleak, dreary laughter of the group putting their hands all around his body while he helplessly was unable to move.

"Noooo!" He cried out but the only words that came from his mouth were soft whispers that could not be heard. He tried to move his hands up to fight but the drugs overtook his system. Weakened and unable to defend himself, he experienced a small tear in his eye as the half-moon illuminated the dark sky above while Mark's hands reached for the buttons of his jeans.

"Hold him down!" The bodybuilder ordered his lackeys. "I want be first!" His hairy, bare chest hovered above the frightened Danny as he felt his limbs being pinned down into the dirt. Knowing full well what was about to happen, the teenager prepared his mind for the worst and hoped to block this incident from his mind. So far, it was not working.

A rustle of leaves caught his attention. Mark stopped in his actions before he heard something snapping twigs all around him and breaking a couple of branches along the way. Rotating his head toward the right side of the forest clearing he noticed a shadow dart through the trees and panicked.

"Something's out here!" He jumped. Leaving Danny alone, he heard something or someone darting up from behind him. His shifted his body toward the object.

The shadow struck first. Without any warning, it slammed hard into the bodybuilder. Mark went flying toward the trunk of the tree. His muscular physique cracked at the base of his shoulder and dislocated the arm from its socket. The hairy man grabbed his damaged limb and howled in pain. However, his attacker was not through yet. It struck again and this time knocked him out cold with a hard swipe to the jaw. With his legs spread and his damaged shoulder lying motionless, Mark tilted his head forward unconscious as a blood flowed from his broken nose and broken teeth from where the thing hit him. His companions witnessed all of it in horror as they immediately released Danny and raced off toward the bodybuilder's pick-up truck.

They never made it.

The thing grabbed two of the men by their throats and dragged them to the edge of the lake. They flailed and kicked, screaming for help but no one came as their bodies splashed through the dark water and a strange current overtook them and yanked down them underwater. Struggling for breath, they tried to swim toward the surface but the thing clutched their legs tight, pulling the pair even further down into the murky depths. Soon they stopped fighting and let the darkness overtake them.

With three down that left only one who managed to make it to the truck. Thankfully, Mark had left the keys in the ignition. Scrambling to turn on the engine, the college boy managed to get the pick-up running while his foot pressed against the gas pedal and he switched the vehicle into reverse. He was close to gunning the engine when something smashed through the window of the driver's seat, gripped his neck and yanked him through the glass and on to the hood of the front bumper. His head smashed against the warm metal; he blacked out instantly. His unmoving body crumpled to the ground and on to the dirt where he laid sprawled and bleeding from the gash on his head. The thing pushed the unconscious man away and slowly shut off the ignition of the truck. It then walked over to Danny who in his drug induced haze had no idea of the murky shadow that blanketed him.

With his vision blurred and his eyes attempted to adjust to the creature that was observing him, he experienced two strong hands slide underneath his legs and armpits and gently raise him off the ground. The shadow moved. Walking through the row of trees, through the tangled roots attached to the ground and small uneven dirt, Danny watched and felt through his drug induced state the sounds of the night hoots and crickets chirping all around him as the stranger carried him through the forest and to a parked car near the side of the main road.

Opening the back door of the vehicle, his savior gently placed him in the backseat where his body could rest comfortably while shut the door and moved toward the driver's side. Within seconds, the thing started the engine and pulled out. Soon they were on the road.

Where and what destination they were heading to remained a mystery.

For now, all Danny Mahealani wanted to do was sleep. He shut his eyes and drifted off.

* * *

Deputy Parrish hated these early morning crime scenes. He had worked a long night patrol shift and all he wanted to do was head home and sleep. However, duty called.

Pulling up, he noticed his fellow officers coordinating off the area with yellow caution tape around the wooded area of Aiwa Lake. As a resident of Beacon Hills, he was all too familiar about the wild parties and make-out location of Aiwa so already he assumed it involved local teenagers.

He parked near the forensics van and got out. Already, Sheriff Stilinski had been waiting for him.

"What's the news, Sheriff?" He asked his superior as four bodies were wheeled away in body bags.

"Another homicide." Sheriff Stilinski responded to his coworker. "Four college students. Kevin Mercer, Allen McNamara, and Thomas Draper. No criminal history. Attend BHU and are part of the same fraternity, Sigma Epsilon."

"What about the fourth?" The deputy asked.

"Mark Grazer." The officer explained. "Amateur bodybuilder and local competitor in various contests. Also from the same frat house but get this…" He remarked.

"What?"

"He has a small rap sheet. Petty theft. Assault. Attempted burglary. Public intoxication. The man sure has quite a reputation."

Deputy Parrish scratched his head. "You think their deaths have something to do with Grazer's previous felonies?"

The sheriff shrugged. "Possibly, but then we noticed something strange on the victims. They've been ritualized just like the two teenagers at the high school pool. Their hearts have been cut open and some of their bones taken. It's more than coincidence that the killings happened in the exact same manner."

Parrish looked at his superior and flinched. He could not believe that their deaths were all too similar. "Do you think it's a serial killer?"

"It might be." The Beacon Hills officer suggested. "For now, we won't alarm the public until we get further evidence and possibly a profile drawn up on our would-be murderer."

"Where do you find the bodies?" The deputy questioned.

"That's the strange part." Sheriff Stilinski remarked. "Kevin and Allen floating in the lake. Apparently, the killer tried to drown them before killing them. Thomas near the pick-up truck. We assume a blunt object was used to smash the windows so the victim could be dragged outside. Finally, Mark had the worst of it. He was badly mutilated to the point that he's unrecognizable. We're talking really mangled up. The killer really did a number on him."

"So what do we do now?" Deputy Parrish wondered.

"We wait for the test results from the crime lab and then we'll formulate a plan." He informed him. "For now, it's better if we keep this one also quiet from public scrutiny. We already have too much on our plate to handle. Do you understand, Deputy Parrish?"

The young law enforcement officer agreed. "Absolutely. We don't want to cause widespread panic of a killer on the loose."

"Exactly." Sheriff Stilinski advised. "For now, we'll try to keep hush hush and prevent the media from knowing about this. We don't need another tragedy to be circulated around Beacon Hills."

"Anything else?" The deputy asked his boss.

"No." The officer shook his head. "Just update on the facts of the report once it's completed."

"No problem." Parrish nodded. He watched as the sheriff pulled out his phone. "Who are you going to call?"

"Someone who might give us an idea of where to start this investigation." He told him.

He scrolled through his list of names on his contact menu, highlighted the recipient and dialed.

His son Rupert "Stiles" Stilinski immediately answered the line.


	3. Chapter 3

The smell of bacon and eggs inhaled through his nostrils.

Danny opened his eyes, noticed the plain white flat surface of the ceiling, and stared at it for moment before listening to the rustling of someone inside his kitchen. Pressing his head against the throw pillow, he shifted his face to look at his surroundings. It was a large, lavishly decorated living room, furnished with high end decorations and wall hangings, with expensive curtains pulled open to let the morning light to settle in. He lifted the position of his body up to sit comfortably on the couch and rubbed the exhausted the feeling of his eyes before he realized he had somehow returned home from a crazy night of partying. How he arrived here still remained a mystery.

He scratched his head for moment, tried to recall the events of last night before frightening flashes of what happened to him made him stop for moment. _Mark and his friends drugged me and tried to rape me._ He covered his mouth at the traumatic event and breathed a sigh of relief that it never came to fruition. However, flashes of a mysterious shadow saving him nagged at his memories as he tried to get a clear picture of his rescuer. Nothing formed in this head. Pressing his bare feet on the floor, stood up and padded toward the kitchen as the wonderful aroma of food beckoned to his growling stomach.

Dina Kendrick and her husband Ralphy sat at the dining table as the pretty blonde woman made breakfast for everyone in the kitchen. Dressed in a pair of faded, pink sweats compared to the risqué gold bikini she wore the previous evening, she appeared like a regular housewife making a meal for her family. Dina kissed her spouse's forehead as Danny entered the room still groggy from the effects of the date rape drug that was trying to leave his system.

"Morning sleepyhead." She smiled up at him. She served him a plate. "Eat up fast. You'll be late for school!"

Danny opened his eyes wide in surprise. "What are you doing here? In my house?"

Ralphy sipped his coffee. He looked quite different with his long curly hair pulled into a ponytail and his bare chest covered by a baggy, plaid long sleeve shirt. He responded. "You were passed out in your car at three in the morning in the parking lot. Dina and I found you when we closed the bar and saw you sleeping in the driver's seat. I guess you didn't go with those guys you were with last night. Anyway, you left your keys in the ignition and we drove you home. Dina followed in our car and I drove yours. Then we let ourselves in, I helped you to the couch and we hung around to make sure you were okay. I hope you don't mind."

The teenager shook his head and smiled. "No. It's cool. I appreciate it that you helped me get home safe."

"No problem." Dina grinned. She poured him a glass of orange juice. "What did you drink last night? You were out like a light."

"Nothing." He answered. He did not want to mention the drugging and the attempted sexual assault. "I guess I drank a beer with those guys in the parking lot. I suppose alcohol doesn't agree with me."

Ralphy shot him a stern look. "And that's why underage kids don't drink. Good thing, you didn't get into any trouble with those college frat boys. I heard those guys are quite wild."

"Yeah." Danny said scratching his head.

The couple ate quickly and put their dirty dishes into the sink while Danny started on his.

"We better get going," said Dina. "Our kids spent the night with the grandparetns and we need to pick them up."

Ralphy dropped off the teen's car keys on the dining table. "Here's your keys back and drive safe." He advised. "We'll talk to you soon."

"Thanks again!" Danny called out to his friends as they walked out of the front door to their car. The teen slowly locked the entrance, finished meal and went upstairs to quickly shower and change.

He was going to be late for school.

* * *

_Beacon Hills High_

He missed first period but luckily his Spanish teacher Senora Lopez was understanding and let him turn in his homework late. He rushed to second period, which was music, where he met up with his fellow bandmates Larry Quatro, Susan Kimes, and Santiago Cordova. Larry and Susan were juniors at Beacon Hills and alternated between wind instruments of the flute and clarinet. Santiago was a sophomore and played the cello. All three had participated in the orchestra recital last year where Danny led them as their conductor. This year, they hoped for another successful repeat performance.

Danny plopped his backpack on the floor as he gathered his sheet music and placed it on the music stand. Susan clutched her flute and took a seat next to him. She was an average looking girl with glasses, a thin face, and messy light brown hair and she had a tendency to wear denim overalls, faded t-shirts with ponies on them and Mary Janes with frilly socks. She had a huge crush on him and Danny knew it and despite the fact that he was gay, Susan had gotten it into her head that she could change him.

"Hi Danny!" She giggled and shot him a flirty wave. The teen tried to not encourage her advances but she made it rather difficult. At least, he tried to be polite.

"Hey Susie," he answered back. "You're looking quite nice today."

Susan Kimes blushed. Her My Little Pony t-shirt and denim overalls were covered with food stains and her scraggly hair had covered her face. Danny did not want to hurt the poor girl's feelings so he paid her decent compliment.

"You know," she cooed. "There's this anime convention coming to town. I was wondering…"

Larry Quatro interrupted her. Clutching his clarinet, the chubby junior with bad acne and curly red hair flagged the teen conductor down. Susan was not too happy about this and sulked in her chair. Larry continued. "Have you heard that we got a new first violinist?"

Danny flinched. "A first violinist? What happened to Chandra?"

"Chandra got offered a musical scholarship at the prestigious New York Academy." Santiago Cordova cut in as he tuned his cello. The Hispanic sophomore had a tendency to gather the latest gossip. How he received the news first is anyone's guess. The slender teen continued. "She transferred last week to their school."

"Then that leaves Carl." The teen conductor noted.

All eyes shifted behind their chairs to see Carl Loomis, a short skinny sophomore, sitting in the back and picking his nose with his violin bow. Everyone cringed in repulsion.

"Uh, I don't think Carl's the best choice." Susan remarked.

"I agree." Larry added. "Chandra's replacement was some freshman but we all know what happened to her and her boyfriend."

Danny lifted his eyebrows. "What happened?"

Santiago closed in. "You haven't heard?"

"No." He shook his head. "I've been out of the loop."

"Two freshmen were found dead floating in the school's pool!" The cellist announced. "It's been kept out of the papers by the sheriff's department but everyone's saying it's another serial killing."

Danny sat back and looked concerned. He knew that the death toll in Beacon Hills meant that the random murders were supernaturally related. He made the mistake of opening his ears up and discovering that werewolves and other supernatural creatures existed. Hell, his best friend Jackson was a homicidal lizard and his ex-boyfriend was a lycanthrope. What else resided in the town of Beacon Hills? He did not want to know.

Santiago continued. "Anyway, the chick that died. Her name was Penny Zane. She was originally Chandra's replacement but with her dead, we don't have a first violinist for the orchestra."

"Not true." Larry commented. "I heard our teacher, Mr. Hammell, is auditioning some new transfer student from Hawaii."

"Hawaii?" Danny's eyes lit up. It was the state and homeland of where he was born. He always wanted to visit there and he hoped to one day do so. Unfortunately, his father Mr. Mahealani had other plans. He refused to have him have any contact with any relatives due to some family falling out situation. None of which was ever explained. Danny accepted it but resented his father for it. After graduation, he would defy the man's request and seek out his blood relations.

Just then, their teacher Mr. Hammell glided in. He was a man in his early fifties, bald, with a round face and bushy mustache. He had tendency to wear scratchy sweater vests and addressed his class with warm, friendly smile.

"Students," he said as all eyes focused on him. "As you've already heard, our first violinist Chandra McQueene, has been given an opportunity to attend the prestigious New York Academy of Music. We wish her the best in her endeavors. Sadly, that leaves us with an open spot for our school's orchestra. To remedy that, I've discovered someone with amazing musical skills that will make welcome addition to our Beacon Hills family." He crossed to the closed door and opened it.

A handsome, young man in designer jeans and a tight long sleeve shirt walked in with his violin in hand as Danny's face beamed.

"Please let me introduce you to…Zen Keylani!"

The students clapped for the new student as Zen placed the rim of the violin to his chin and began to play. It was Vivaldi's Storm. The music began slowly with the basic vibrations of the bow touching the violin strings and gently shaking it to produce such a clear, rich sound. Then the tempo picked up with each metaphor of sound symbolizing the change within the tempest such as rain, wind, and lightning striking down the earth. Everyone in the room instantly immediately became enthralled.

Zen Keylani was a musical god.

With each stroke of the violin string, he lured each of his listeners in. Danny, in particular, took notice as the young man was pulled into his vacuum and experienced the inviting warmth of his embrace. He wanted to feel his arms holding him, his lips caressing his mouth, and the strong, electrifying connection that he remembered from the Jungle last night. He was now ensnared in the teenager's seductive web.

Even Susan felt it too. Her eyes became transfixed on the mysterious stranger as she forgot all about her previous infatuation with Danny and focused all her attention on Zen.

The teen finished his performance with one more slash of the bow and waited for his peers to respond. Boy, did they ever. Everyone got up and broke out into applause. Rumbles of clapping hands trembled from inside the room to the hallways outside. Mr. Hammell raised his hand to calm the class down as the orchestra demonstrated their appreciation with series of bravos and cheers.

"Settle down, class!" The music teacher ordered. "Yes, Mr. Keylani is extremely talented. However, I'm not going to show any favoritism to anyone in the orchestra." He gestured to Zen. "It doesn't matter what grade level you are and how long you've been playing, everyone starts off on equal footing." He turned to Zen. "Is that clear, Mr. Keylani?"

"Of course, sir." Zen agreed.

Mr. Hammell then pointed to the class. "Perhaps, Mr. Keylani, you would like to introduce yourself to the band?

The young man smiled. "Certainly." He inhaled a breath and spoke. From his seat, Danny absorbed every word. "My name is Zen Keylani. I'm a senior and I just transferred here from Hawaii. I'm been playing the violin since I can remember and I'm really excited to be joining the group."

Danny could not agree more. He wanted to know more about the teenager and vowed to be his personal tour guide at the school.

"Thank you, Mr. Keylani, for that wonderful introduction." The music teacher remarked. "Now take a seat and we'll begin."

Zen nodded and made his way toward the row of chairs in the back. Susan offered his seat but instead he chose to sit directly next to Danny. Both boys looked at each other, made flirty glances and directed their gazes back at the instructor.

"As you know," noted Mr. Hammell. "Next month we have the first local music competition. Now we were good last year but not good enough to place in regionals. I don't want that to happen. I definitely want to push forward. That's why I specifically chose this orchestra with the finest musicians Beacon Hills has to offer. Let's win this thing!"

The class broke out in cheers as Danny shyly glanced at Zen who acknowledged him with a smile and returned his attention back to their teacher. The hour flew by fast as rehearsals went really well. Conductor Danny led the band in a wonderful rendition of the William Tell Overture by Rossini and Mr. Hammell appeared pleased with the results. The bell rang for the next class and everyone disbanded. Zen grabbed his things as Danny approached him as he was leaving.

"I didn't know you were going to my school this year." The Beacon Hills teen said to the new student. "You should've said something last night."

Zen giggled. "I think we were too busy sticking our tongues down each of our throats to really engage in a real conversation."

Danny blushed as he remembered his wonderful make-out session last night. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth.

"So…I guess that means we'll be working together?"

The teen slicked his dark hair back. "I guess we are." He leaned in. "I can't wait. I'm going to enjoy getting to know you better."

Danny cocked his head in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Tossing his backpack over his shoulder and clutching his violin case at his side, Zen grinned. "Let's just say that this is going be an interesting experience for the both of us. One, I hope that none either of us will regret."

"Regret?" The Beacon Hills teen wondered.

"Danny," sighed the new student. "There are many secrets better off not being revealed and some that are worth knowing. Hopefully, what we both uncover will be worth the risk."

He had to step back for a bit. "I'm not quite sure what you're getting at."

Reaching out his hand, he stroked the handsome teen's cheek. Danny covered it with his own fingers. It felt warm, smooth, and soft to the touch. He fought back the urge to embrace the strange lad and kiss him again. Eventually, Zen pulled his hand back.

"You will in time, Danny boy." He said with a teasing smirk. "You will in time."

He exited the room, joining the flood of the students that filled the hallways. Danny observed him disappear into the crowd as he caught a glimpse of his derriere that nicely complimented the tight designer jeans that he wore.

He had to admire the fact that Zen Keylani had a cute butt.

* * *

_Beacon Hills Hospital_

No matter how many times he had been down in the morgue, Sheriff Stilinski hated the fact that he was around body bags of dead people. Melissa McCall waited as her son, Scott, and his friends, Stiles and Derek Hale, entered through the department's doors as they approached the corpse displayed on the metal table.

"Are you ready for this?" She asked the sheriff.

Sheriff Stilinski nodded in agreement. "Go ahead, Melissa."

"Scott, Stiles, and Derek?" She said to her son and his friends. "You got a strong stomach for this?"

Scott McCall reassured his mother. "It's okay, Mom. I'm use to blood and death. Remember, I'm a werewolf."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me. Sometimes I wish you were a normal delinquent teenager. Those were the good old days."

"We're still normal delinquent teenagers." Stiles added. "Except some of us now sprout teeth and fur and could use a good waxing every now and then." He turned to the other werewolf in the room. "I mean look at Derek here. He could use some work on his five o'clock shadow…"

"Shut up, Stiles!" Derek snapped. He calmly gestured to Melissa. "Please, Mrs. McCall, let's see the body."

"It's Miss now." She corrected. "Scott's father might still be in the picture but we're officially divorced." She reached for the zipper of the body bag and pulled it down. The disfigured male corpse of Mark Grazer appeared on the counter as everyone observed the body that had been badly mutilated beyond recognition.

Stiles took one look at the dead person and swooned. "So…much…blood…" He fainted.

Melissa ran to his side. "Stiles?"

Scott assisted his mother as they carried him to a chair nearby and helped him get some air.

"I'm okay!" The teen emphasized. "I'll just sit here while my Dad and you guys do your CSI thing."

Sheriff Stilinsky nodded to Derek. "Werewolf? Wendigo?"

The green eyed man shook his head. "No." He pointed to the slash marks across the dead man's face. "The cuts are thin. Like I said, a werewolves claws are deeper. This was done out of bloodlust. Plus, Wendigos would consume the entire body since they're cannibals."

"Cannibals?" Melissa gasped. "How many supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills actually eat people?"

Scott answered for her. "Plenty. However, they're rare. I wouldn't worry about any cannibal creatures attacking anyone soon."

The nurse slapped her forehead in disgust. "Somehow I don't feel any better about that for some reason."

Pointing to the open hole in the victim's chest and a puncture wound in the right arm, Sheriff Stilinski referred to Derek for more information. "Another heart ripped open and bones missing. You said it could be ritualistic. Any idea of creatures that practice such methods?"

"Berserkers." Scott suggested. He remembered the ones on the loose in Beacon Hills and still at large, along with now transformed Kate Argent.

"True, Scott." Derek agreed. "However, Berserkers are not as precise with the trophies they keep of their victims. It's sometimes random. A bone here, a piece of skin, an ear, a nose or two…"

Stiles's face turned pale as he listened to the Beta's graphic description. He clutched his stomach and tried not to dry heave into the waste basket nearby.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Breathe, Stiles. Breathe." Melissa advised. The teen inhaled and exhaled slowly which gradually made him feel better.

Sheriff Stilinki examined the corpse again. "If it's not werewolves or these Berserker things, then what is it? They rip out only hearts and collect bones. I don't know where to begin here."

"We'll have to keep you updated as we get more information." Derek offered. "Right now, we have other things to worry about like the dead pool."

"You mean the hit list on supernatural creatures?" Melissa asked the Beta.

Sheriff Stilinski's eyes opened wide. "You know about the list?"

The nurse nodded. "Absolutely. Scott told me. Though I'm a little worried that he and his friends are on it, they're in danger."

"Mom, we'll be fine." Scott reassured her. "We're looking out for each other."

Melissa walked over to hug her son. "I know, honey, but it's my job as your mother to worry. Just because you're werewolf doesn't mean that you can't always protect yourself. I don't know much about this hit list but I'll be damn before anyone hurts my son."

Derek's face slowly nodded. "Don't worry, Mrs. McCall. Scott's pack and I are watching out for each other. Scott's safe."

"Somehow I'm not convinced," she commented. "You have some mysterious Benafactor and millions of dollars at stake. I'm not sure anyone in Beacon Hills is safe."

Sheriff Stilinski inserted an extra bullet into the barrel of his gun. "I assure you, Melissa. The boys are going to be safe. No one's taking out anyone. Not on my watch."

Stiles heard his father's words and grew inspired. He was about to say something stoic but the moment he saw the mutilated corpse, he had to dry heave again.

This time he successfully vomited into the waste basket.

* * *

Zen sat in front of his laptop that was placed on the television tray of the rundown apartment he rented for a few months. He hacked into the private code of the hit list website in order to gain access to the dead pool of names in order to see the dominations of each one. Pressing a few buttons on his keyboard, he pulled another window to see an even longer list where seven to eight and even nine figures came up on screen. He lowered his eyes and sighed.

Danny's name appeared on the new list and not the original.

_Dammit! It's another Benafactor! Someone's committing a copycat crime! _ He said to himself. He could not worry about the old row of names now but simply focus on the ones he was currently working on. Tapping his finger on the mouse, he scrolled down and found that the number associated with Danny's name had increased from a few thousand to cool a ten million.

"What the hell?" He screamed. "That can't be right! They've up the amount!" Then fear shook him. "Oh my God! They know what he truly is!"

Closing his laptop, he ran to gather his jacket and duffle bag of weapons from the closet nearby. In the corner, he kept the jian stashed away and pulled it out. Then he exited his apartment, down the steps to a rental car, and put his arsenal in the trunk.

A quarter moon rose up in the night sky and that signaled an omen of bad things to come. He decided to ignore it all. Instead, he got in the driver's seat and chased down a lead in Beacon Hills.

Come hell or high water, he was going to save Danny's life. That was a promise he made to his dead lover, David.

He was going to protect David's twin brother no matter the consequences.

The only problem was that he was falling for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Moses Champ's Fishing, Bait and Tackle stood on the southern corner of Aiwa Lake near the Beacon Hills Woods. This particular region offered amazing, freshwater game from the one of the connecting tributaries that crossed into the Putah and down the stretch of the Sacramento valley so fish was never in short supply. The owner, Moses Champ, offered great rates to locals and visiting tourists who wanted to partake in the sport as well as provide the freshest catch of the day for local seafood restaurants and grocery stores.

Zen checked his watch. Nine o'clock; the store was still open late for a business which was bizarre. He parked his rental car nearby, turned off the ignition and got out to retrieve a few weapons from the duffel bag of his trunk. Slipping a few knives into his hidden pockets of jacket and pants, he sheathed the jian behind the holster of his back and shoved a small pistol filled with silver bullets down the harness of his left thigh.

He glanced left and right, noticed no one in the vicinity, and snuck up toward the cabin house that was filled with light from the window. Once he reached a safe spot near the reflective surface, he peeked through the lit glass. No one was in the room at that moment. A kitchen, small, quaint and decorated with country décor, caught his eye.

Apparently, Moses had a thing for cows and chickens. Evidence of this was demonstrated by the ceramic bovine and hen inspired cookie jars lined up atop the kitchen cupboards. Black and white spots with red and yellow trim was spread across the walls as everything with a farming country motif became splattered all around the room. Zen shook his head concerning the owner's taste in home furnishings and searched around the other windows of the cabin to find the owner mysteriously absent.

"That's weird." He said to himself. "He should be home."

Once again, he pulled out his phone and scrolled the notes he made on the screen from the dead pool website.

_Moses Champ. $30,000. Were-Coyote._

_Wife Linda Champ. $8,000. Banshee._

It still bothered him that there was another hit-list of names that started this dead pool hunt for supernatural beings and that the one he had been duped into following was actually a copycat of the original. He hated the fact that there were two Benafactors in this sick hunting game which only further complicated his plans but for now he had to stick to his original instructions: to research this copycat hit-list, find out the identity of the second Benafactor, and to save and protect Danny Mahealani from all this insanity. Unfortunately, that all went out of the door the moment he became infatuated with the teenager.

He had not expected to develop feelings for the young man but everything about Danny, from his compassionate and caring personality to his handsome face, reminded him of his identical twin, David. Deep down, he knew Danny was not, nor will he ever be a replacement for his late brother but Zen knew the risks involved when he began to seduce the Beacon Hills teen. He did not plan on having his emotions get in the way of his work but something things were unavoidable. Instead, he refocused his attention back to the matter at hand: to investigate Moses Champ and his wife.

His eyes drifted in the direction of the dock house at the end of the pier. Light illuminated from the windows and he decided to his luck there. Night covered the area with a cloud of mist that concealed the walkway. With the exception a dim brightness penetrating from the building's glass, Zen could only detect the faint sounds of water hitting the wooden barriers of the pier underneath as ripples of waves splashed across the surrounding architecture. The hunter located the door of the dock house, turned the knob and discovered it strangely unlocked. Not one to take a chance, he pulled out his small pistol, opened the door and slowly entered. The entrance made a creaking noise when he softly shut it and he hoped that it did not attract any attention to anyone inside who wished to do him harm.

The sound of the Moses motorized boat knocking against the dock echoed from outside. Zen steadied his gun, his boots pressing hard against the wooden flooring as the waves of the Aiwa Lake's water once again rippled below him. He had the area in surveillance. Several canoes hung against the wall next to a few rowing paddles while dozens of fishing poles, tackle boxes, hooks, and spools of fishing wire sat on the shelves nearby. Crates, boxes, and big barrel containers were positioned around the area next to large coils of rope, metal cords, and wooden boxes. Despite the objects overcrowding the space, the owner managed to keep the place neat, clean, and organized.

He walked a few steps, saw the ceiling lights blinking and slowly put his gun down when he realized he was alone. That was when he noticed a pair of dark shadows lumped near the corner behind a large wooden crate. He went to investigate.

Kneeling down, he realized they were human. Their bodies pale white, lying face down in a pool of blood. Zen turned them over only to note that both corpses, one male and one female, wore matching uniform shirts with the names _Moses_ and_ Linda _embroidered on the right pocket of the fabric. His eyes lowered further down to see bloody holes near the right side of the cavities of their chest and punctured holes on their arms. He sighed.

"Damn!" He cursed. "Those things got to them first!"

Then his ears pricked up. The sliding of metal, the breath of anticipation, and the zinging of a bowstring, the very sounds that echoed through his auditory senses and alarmed him to a certain degree, he gripped his pistol as he heard a finger wrap around a trigger and fired.

The glass windows exploded. The metal rod struck the wall as another shot forward and connected to the back where a canoe had been hanging. Zen glanced up to see an arrow sticking out of it. He heard another series firing again and this time he did not hesitate. He hit the wooden flooring hard, somersaulted out of the path of metal arrows being fired through the open widows and found solace behind a series of large crates nearby. This gave him a moment to catch his breath but not for long as the front door flew open and four masked soldiers dressed in military fatigues came rushing in with crossbows aimed right at him.

Zen steadied his gun, targeted the forehead of the first soldier and got prepared to fire. However, the masked man was faster. He drew his bow in the hunter's direction and released the arrow. The metal rod struck the tiny weapon, forcing Zen to release it. It dropped to the ground, leaving the helpless hunter unarmed and forced to face the onslaught of arrows being shot at him.

Four more quills came toward him. Without hesitation, he grabbed the canoe from the wall behind him and used it as a shield to deflect the arsenal. The metal rods embedded into the boat. Brute strength was his only option at this point, he tossed the heavy canoe toward the four soldiers as the large object slammed into two of the military men and sent them crashing to the ground. This left two more who managed to duck out of the way to ready their crossbows and fire another round of arrows at Zen.

Remembering his jian, he unsheathed the Chinese sword from his back and cut through the heavy arsenal like butter. The quills broke in two as the pair of remaining soldiers attempted to reload only to have the hunter leap upon them with superhuman speed and slash away their weapons. As a last resort, both men opted for fisticuffs. The first soldier attempted to land a punch but Zen was faster and he dodged the blow and returned with a kick to the man's ankle. A sickening crack echoed inside the dock house as he broke his enemy's leg with his foot and finished him off with a knockout punch to the face. No sooner was the first soldier sprawled out and unconscious, then his secondary partner took his position and prepared to battle it out with Zen.

Unarmed and baiting the hunter for a fight, the final soldier clenched his fists and taunted the teen.

"Come on, tough guy!" He shouted through his mask. "What's a matter? Can't fight without your sword?"

Zen sighed. He sheathed his jian into the holster behind his back and got into a fighting stance. With his legs spread, boots standing firmly on the ground, and his body tight and ready to fight, he eyed his opponent cautiously and waited for him to make the first move.

"Let's rock, asshole!" He told the soldier.

The militant struck first. He swung at the teen, curling his arm around the boy's head, and narrowly missed him by a fraction of an inch. This gave an advantage to Zen. Pulling his arm back, he swung up, first closed, and connected with the soldier's jaw. The uppercut caught his enemy off-guard as the masked man suddenly became dazed and failed to see his opponent's sweeping leg striking toward his direction. Zen's boot made contact with the soldier's face, cracking his nose in three places. The military man convulsed for bit before another blow from teenager performing a roundhouse kick finally finished him off. With his nose bleeding and his head pounding, the soldier fell forward and landed next to the rest of his comrades unconscious and bruised.

"You disappoint me grasshoppah!" Zen giggled with his bad Kung-Fu impersonations. He shrugged and bent down to retrieve his gun lying on the wooden floor. His fingers barely touched the handle of the pistol when a sharp prick entered his neck. Suddenly a jolt of energy shook his body and he screamed in pain. His body buckled and collapsed to the ground.

His face smashed against the wooden floorboards as he saw a long, tiny cord extending from the back of his neck to a device being clutched in the hands of a person standing next to his weakened body. He could tell it was a woman from the ugly female loafers and baggy black pants that she wore. Raising his eyes up, he took a good look at her. She was older, Hispanic, with short brown hair and carried an air of bitchiness that surrounded her aura. She frowned as she lowered her face toward him.

"Hello, Mr. Keylani." She smirked. "I've heard so much about you. Yet, I can't figure you out."

Zen muttered. "Araya Calavera…" His voice trailed off.

The hunter gently put down his head and closed his weary eyes. He had been defeated by a worthy opponent.

* * *

"Wake up, Mr. Keylani."

Her voice seemed nice and calm but he knew all too well that it housed a demoness underneath the façade. He followed her voice, experienced the pounding side effects of a migraine, and slowly forced his eyes opened as his blurry vision took a minute to adjust to the woman that addressed him.

The image finally came into view and he got a chance to look into the face of Araya Calavera and her quartet of wounded warriors as she shot him a sinister smirk and clasped her taser tight within her right hand. Zen's arms ached. Both limbs had been stretched together far above his head, manacled at the wrists by a pair of chains and attached to a hook in the ceiling above. He struggled with the thick constraints, rattling them with his struggling body as the hunter leader gradually stood eye to eye with the teenager.

Zen moaned a little while Araya started with her interrogation.

Her eyes glared at the boy. "We have two known dead creatures. A Senor and Senora Champ. A werewolf and a banshee with their hearts ripped out and some of their bones missing. Would you like to tell us how they died?"

Still fatigued from being shocked by her taser, he tried to form the words. "I…was investigating…Found them…already dead…Then your men…attacked me…Self-defense…"

Araya folded her arms and leaned her back. "You're a hunter too, I see?"

He mumbled. "Yes…"

"Now," she smirked. "Perhaps you'd like to tell us what you are, verdad? Que estas?"

The other hunter scowled for a minute before finally speaking. His face exhibited defiance. "I don't speak Spanish."

Araya's nostrils flared. She removed the projectile needle of her taser and instead settled for the dual pins of her weapon. She pressed the device into the teen's shirt and turned it on. Zen screamed as several volts filled his body. He convulsed with pain while the female hunter's soldiers licked their wounds and smiled with glee at the teen being tortured. It was payback for wounded them. Araya pulled the taser away and lifted his chin with her finger.

"No mas mentiras. I know you have a gift for languages so you understand me. You obviously fight like a hunter but no one can identify your clan which makes me think that you're supernatural in nature from the way you lifted that heavy canoe all by yourself. Isn't that right, Estrada and Salazar?"

The two mean looking soldiers named Estrada and Salazar sneered at Zen. Each one had a huge gash on their foreheads from where the boat had struck them when the teenager threw the huge object at them. It took the both of them to push the heavy canoe off after they were pinned down by it. No ordinary human could have lifted it without assistance.

"So this begs the question," said Araya. "What are you? You're not el lobo. A werewolf, a coyote, jaguar or kanima. You don't change under the moonlight. You're not a banshee and can't foresee the dead. You're certainly not un vampiro. Even if such things exist, you walk in daylight. So I ask you Mr. Keylani, que estos?"

Zen glanced at the older woman and grinned. "I'm just your average horny, gay teenager, puta!"

His response did not sit well with Araya. She pressed the taser into his chest again. Electrical current surged through his body as the young man convulsed with pain. His legs shook, his manacled wrists trembled, and he screamed in anguish as the Calavera hunters watched with delight his body being abused. Araya finally stopped with the torture to question him further.

"I'll ask you again," she ordered. Her face contorted into a twisted frown. "What are you? Who are you working for?"

"GO TO HELL CABRONA!" He spat.

Araya shocked him again. Zen hollered, tried to fight through the pain but his own mental health failed him. Weary and broken, he finally submitted.

"Fine…" His voice said in a whisper. The Calavera hunter withdrew her taser. "I'll…tell…you…"

The older woman cracked a smile. Sweat drenched the young hunter's shirt as a bead of perspiration soaked his dark hair. He balled his bound wrists into fists and shook his chains.

"Let's begin with," said Araya. "Who are you working for? The Benafactor?"

Zen's eyes widened. "What do you know of the Benafactor? You know about the list?"

She nodded. "I know many things about the list. There are million dollar bounties on all the supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills. The only thing we don't know is the identity of the Benafactor. Perhaps you could reveal the name of this person since apparently you're associated with this individual."

He gritted his teeth. "I'm not involved with the Benafactor in any way!"

Her finger pressed the button of the taser to ignite the current on the pins. She did not believe him and she intended to torture him again for the truth. She approached him.

Zen protested. "Wait! There's another list! I can prove it!" Araya stopped and put down the taser.

Her face stared at the teenager. "Well then, Mr. Keylani. I'm waiting."

"I've discovered two lists!" He explained. "There's the original Benafactor who has yet to be identified and now a copycat! I'm trying to find the copycat!"

She was not convinced. She pressed the taser again as a warning.

Shaking his manacles, he gestured his head toward the corner of the dock house where the Calaveras confiscated his weapons. His jian still in its holster sat next to large wooden crate.

"Check my jian, my sword." He said to the woman. "There's a secret seal on the hilt right at the center. There you'll see my clan's crest."

Araya ordered one of her soldiers, the last militant Zen defeated, to fetch the weapon. He had a broken nose and black eye from where the teenager performed an uppercut. He glared at him before handing the blade to his leader.

The female hunter noted this and laughed. "Looks like Espinoza hates you too. You sure did some damage to my men. Their pride is hurting more than their bodies."

Zen growled and rattled his chains. "Happy to oblige." His eyes shifted to the other soldier with a broken ankle who now had it wrapped in a thick bandage. He could see the man shoot daggers from his eyes at him. The young hunter proudly relished in causing the Calavera militant some harm.

"Careful, Mr. Keylani." Araya warned. "DeGuzman might be out at the moment but he's one of my most dangerous men. I wouldn't continue to piss him off if I were you."

Zen huffed. "Oh but I do."

DeGuzman overheard this and snarled. If not for his throbbing hurt ankle, he would dart toward the teenager and rip off his head. However for now, he would play it cool and wait orders from his leader.

Araya shrugged and turned her focus back to the sword. She grabbed the hilt with her both hands and removed it from the holster as the sharp blade gleamed under the dock house lights. Her reflection stared back at her and she drew her eyes toward the center of the handle where a secret button convinced to press it.

She did.

The hidden cover of the hilt slid open to reveal a tiny crest. It was embossed, with a golden cross that was upraised and carved in the middle. Adjusting her eyes, she saw what appeared to be a silver goblet at the center with the following words in Latin sculpted in a circular fashion_: Ex Aedibus Sacrae Congregationis Concilii._

Her mouth dropped. She quickly turned toward the hunter. "You're a Paladin?"

Zen smirked. "No shit, pendeja!"

Araya dropped the sword. It clanged against the ground as the teen's eyes noticed water seeping from the open holes of the floorboard. Bubbling quickly through the various openings of the flooring, Zen noticed the liquid rising fast and realized with horror of what was to come. His eyes connected to the Calavera leader and he shouted to her.

"QUICK! GET OFF THE FLOOR NOW!"

The older woman quickly jumped on to the large wooden crate nearby but it was too late for Estrada and Salazar. A loud explosion rocked dock house. The wooden flooring tore apart as large tentacle shot out of the water, wrapped around Estrada's neck and dragged him down into lake's dark depths. Salazar did not fare any better. Behind him, the planks tore apart as a webbed, clawed hand reached out, grabbed a hold of his leg and yanked him down into the murky deep. The Calavera soldier screamed for help but no one came to his rescue as his other comrades, Espinoza and DeGuzman scrambled for the building's corners as more of the flooring began to rip apart, allowing the lake's water to seep in.

"THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WATER!" Araya shrieked. She edged her body near the wooden crate as she noticed some the dark water turning red from the holes in the flooring. She soon realized it was the blood of Salazar and Estrada.

Zen knew he had to do something to save him and everyone inside the dock house before the thing made another attack. He glanced at Espinoza who stood next to his jian and called out to him.

"Espinoza! My sword!"

The Calavera soldier appeared lost as he stared at the manacled teen.

Rolling his eyes, Zen clucked. "Espinoza! That thing is going to come back and take more us with it! I can help! Give me my sword!"

Espinoza looked helplessly at Araya for guidance. She pulled out her own gun for protection as she cocked her head in disbelief.

"He's a Paladin!" The older woman groaned. "Claro que! He's on our side!"

The soldier nodded. He grabbed the jian, raced toward Zen to unlock the chains binding the boy's hands, and placed the blade in his hands. Soothing the rawness of his wrists and arms, the teenager pulled the militant on top of a wooden crate opposite of Araya as more water seeped through the cracks of the floorboards.

"What about me?" The Calavera fighter named DeGuzman questioned as he soothed his broken leg in the corner. Zen prepared himself to retrieve the man when the flooring cracked again and a tiny tentacle splashed through the water. DeGuzman screamed as the thing came near. It reached out ready to grab him but instead touched the surface of the liquid and latched on to the wet ground.

An eerie crackle, then a flash occurred. The trio on top of the crates watched in horror as DeGuzman shrieked in anguish as an electrical current struck him. Millions of bolts went through his body. The tentacle igniting the spark, the water acting as a conductor, and poor DeGuzman shaking and convulsing as his body began to char and melt like one huge human microwave popcorn. The tentacle retreated back into the water, leaving the smoking body of the Calavera body toppling to the wet floor dead and burned beyond recognition.

"What is that thing?" Araya yelled at Zen.

"Death." He answered bluntly. He scanned the room again, noticed the door of the dock house a few feet away, and felt for the small hidden blades hidden inside his shirt. Thankfully, the Calaveras had not discovered them and confiscated those. He pulled one out of his sleeve and threw it on the wet floor. No spark or electrical current appeared. "Good. The water is no longer electrified. We can try to escape through the entrance before that thing returns."

Araya agreed. She signaled to her last and only surviving soldier, Espinoza, and pointed to the entrance.

"On the count of three," she suggested. She began the countdown."

"One…Two…Three…"

Jumping off the crates, the trio ran for the door. Araya and Zen reached the outside first but another loud explosion caught them off guard as the large chunk of the floor broke apart. The Calavera leader watched as a large shadowed creature popped out of the water, embrace Espinoza with its dark arms, and try to pull him into the lake's darkness. From her perspective, Araya could finally identify the creature. Well, its' back anyway. It had four long strands of tentacle hair, similar to a squid or octopus. Its body was a dark, greyish brown with a thin row of shiny scales similar to a fish. The arms were quite slender with webbed clawed hands that enwrapped its victim tight while the rest of the lower half produced a serpentine tale similar to an eel or sea snake. The Calavera leader pulled out her gun and started firing as the thing made an awful hiss and dragged her fellow soldier into the water.

Grasping his jian, Zen raced after it as Araya noticed him kicking off his boots and preparing to dive in to hunt the creature.

"Don't be stupid, mijo!" She advised. "You can't kill that monstruo!"

Zen shifted his face and grinned. "You still don't know what I am. If you know anything about the Council of the Holy Cross, then you know we also recruit the supernatural within their ranks, including me!"

Araya's brows turned. "Then what are you? Que estas?"

He simply smiled, held his sword tight, and jumped into the hole of dark water. Within seconds, the soft cool liquid filled his lungs and allowed him to propel forward. He swam through the murky depths spotted the serpent figure dragging a struggling Espinoza toward the bottom and raced toward it.

Though the monster was fast, Zen was even faster. He raced toward the creature and grabbed a hold of Espinoza's leg as the other creature hissed and clutched the soldier's other arm. It was then the hunter finally got a good look at his enemy.

The creature was scaly. A fish humanoid with an eel-like tale, a row of four long tentacles across its head, and webbed clawed hands that produced sharp talons that were probably utilized for carving out human hearts. The body, though skinny, had a row of gills across the neckline while the face the monster was sunken in with a row of loose skin, wrinkled flesh, and large black fish eyes with several rows of extra eyelids underneath. The thing hissed at Zen, opened its large mouth to reveal a row of razor teeth, and shrieked.

One of its tentacles struck out first. Zen noticed a small spark of electricity from the tip and thankfully dodged it. It then resorted to using its tail. Whipping out the serpentine appendage, it tried to ensnare him but the hunter was even stronger warrior underwater. For an ordinary human, the weight of the water would have been a hindrance especially when using a sharp weapon such as sword but for someone like him, it only strengthened his abilities. The eel tail lashed out. Zen spun his sword and like a ballet dancer, allowed the current of the water to dictate his movements. The blade connected with the tail, slicing it deep as a mist of dark blood filled the murky depths. The thing hissed.

Wounded, the creature released Espinoza who by now had stopped moving. His face had turned pale as water filled his lungs and his body slowly started to drown. Zen quickly swam toward the man but then an electrical shock caught him off guard as a sharp pain ripped through his spine.

He turned around to see another eel creature with its webbed claw raised and his blood drenched on its hand. _Shit! There's two of them! _With his back throbbing, Zen fought through the pain, steadied his sword and struck out at the second monster. He missed. The thing dodged his attack, grabbed its wounded friend, and together the pair swam off into the darkness to make their escape. They disappeared within seconds.

Woozy and in pain, Zen felt the claw marks run deep within his back. He needed to sustenance and a chance to heal. His eyes noticed a dying Espinoza and swam toward his lifeless body. Already, he could see the paleness and the essence lift from the soldier's eyes. Sadly, he touched the man's face.

"Forgive me," he said to the dying man.

In the last few moments of his life, Espinoza saw the brilliant white light. It was glorious and further evidence of this ethereal experience was only supported by the sweet lull of music playing inside his ears. It was a glorious melody, an indescribable song that sounded more like a hum and vibrated with a beautiful cadence that only he wanted to do was submit and allow it to consume him. It did and he could not be happier especially as the light guided him through the darkness before him.

Finally, he expired.

* * *

The creatures did not return nor did Zen or her soldier Espinoza. From the pier next to the dock house, Araya Calavera watched as something popped out of the water in the distance. She pulled out her gun, readied herself to fire and used a tiny flashlight to determine the image.

It was Zen. He was splashing, swimming far, far away inside Aiwa Lake.

Her eyes adjusted one more as he dove. That is when she saw it.

The large fins of a fishtail connected as he disappeared into the water.

Her face turned pale.

"Aye, mis Dios! No es possible! They don't exist! La Sirena!"


	5. Chapter 5

_Torn between his loyalties as a son and being a dutiful prince of Denmark, Hamlet is conflicted by the vengeful oath he made to his dead father while serving as a future monarch to his people. Here, he exhibits an Oedipus/Elektra complex where the offspring competes for the support and affection of a parent and would sacrifice everything to gain that validation even if goes against their own moral compass and personal code._

Danny stopped typing. His English paper on Hamlet stared back at him from his laptop as he sipped a cup of chamomile tea and tried to correlate his understanding of parental neglect and desired approval with the Shakespeare's protagonist. Putting his hands behind his head, he sat back in his desk chair and yawned.

His alarm clock said 11:00 p.m. and he was exhausted. It had been a long day at school and his research paper was not due in another two weeks so he wanted to get a head start on it. As fatigue began to set in, he surrendered to what his body was telling him and got ready for bed.

He clicked on the mouse to save his work, closed his laptop and headed for the bathroom to shower when he heard the sweet sound of a melody playing in his head. It was a soft hum. Beautiful, ethereal, and brilliant, the ravishing tune drew him forward and he shut his eyes to listen to the wonderful melody that surrounded him. He would have remained simply standing with his eyes close hearing the incredible music but a voice a familiar voice floated in his ears and caught his attention.

"_Danny…Come to me…Help me…"_

It was Zen.

His eyes opened immediately. He looked around his bedroom and saw no one.

It spoke again. _"Danny…"_

Fearing that he might be going nuts, the teen shook his head but the beautiful humming failed to go away. He lifted his face and found himself responding to the invisible voice.

"Zen? Is that you?"

"_Yes…" _It sounded like he was fading out.

"Where are you? What's wrong?"

"_I'm dying…Need your help…Find me…please…"_

His voice struck out. "Where?"

"_The Marsh…Come quickly…please…"_

"Where in the Marsh? How can I find you?"

"_You know…Danny…Follow the music…Follow the music…"_

The soft lull continued. He had to simply follow the brilliant tune in his head. Strangely enough, it seemed to be guiding him, directing his path. All he needed to was to have faith in it. Grabbing his car off the dresser, he exited his house and got into his Toyota Yaris and sped off.

The invisible song showed him the way. He turned off the main road of Beacon Hills and into the bad area of town.

The one region everyone called the Marsh.

* * *

_The Marsh_

Recognized by the locals as the poorer side of Beacon Hills, the Marsh was once a thriving railroad and mining industry near the Aiwa Lake. However in the last fifty years, the region had dried up in resources, leaving owners of the once successful businesses to transfer jobs outside of the county to more metropolitan areas of California. Now left as an abandoned graveyard for locomotives and industrialized tools, many middle class residents ended up moving from the location and more into the center of town where employment was plentiful. Those that stayed behind ended up building trailer park communities and dilapidated housing. Over time, the once fertile soil disintegrated into swamp land as the ground reduced to sinkholes and mud due to Aiwa Lake's underground overflow eroding the surface of the land. Hence, the location was dubbed The Marsh as a place many of the Beacon Hills residents try to avoid.

Danny hated driving through this particular neighborhood. It was bad enough that the crime rate higher in this part of town but being a rich boy in a nice car this late at night meant attracting trouble by the local hoods and drug dealers that inhabited the Marsh. Still, the song in his head beckoned him to follow.

He turned into a shady complex, parked next to a banged up old Buick, and closed his eyes as the wonderful music grew louder. The hum convinced him he was in the right place. He scanned the front doors of the run-down apartments. All of them were locked except for one that was slightly ajar. The song told him to enter. Getting out of his car, he made sure his vehicle was locked to prevent any possible break-ins, and slowly headed toward the open apartment.

Droplets of red stained the concrete sidewalk in front. He followed the trail and noticed it led up to the door of the place. The music vibrated louder in his ears. Carefully, he opened the entrance and let himself inside. Then the song finally stopped when he entered. That is when his brain absorbed his surroundings.

The room was dimly lit. Old worn-out furniture surrounded the walls as a hundred cobwebs decorated the walls along with the piles of dust that gathered around the corners, tables, and lamps. Shag carpeting pressed against his sneakers and he glanced down to see traces of blood soaked into the floor but it was the object that was leaning against the wall that really had him worried.

It was a sword. Some sort of Asian style blade, caked in blood near the edge and lying there untouched. He swallowed a bit of his nerves and decided to say something.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

"_Here…Danny…Bathroom…Please shut the front door…"_

Danny darted to the entrance, closed it, and returned to the hallway where more droplets of blood let up to a lighted room up ahead. He followed the trail, heard the splashing of someone inside, and crossed through the doorway.

What he had witnessed then both shocked and fascinated him. There, floating in the old fiberglass bathtub was Zen Keylani or what appeared to be Zen. From the way that he appeared, it was obvious he was not human. He was supernatural.

His Eurasian features appeared much paler and thinner in the face and showed more prominent bone structures in the chin and jaw. His eyes were completely black from pupils to irises and an extra crease of skin appeared underneath the bottom eyelids. The nose had nearly disappeared, displaying an almost alien-like feature while a row of three gills appeared from both sides of his neck. The ears had decreased considerably but still were visible by his long wet hair that covered him but it was the upper portion of his naked body that intrigued Danny the most.

Several tiny silver toned semi-oval platelets filled Zen's shoulders, arms, and bare chest that appeared muscular and well-maintained while a webbed hand, connecting halfway to each finger with tiny talons on the tips hung over the sides of the tub. Danny's eyes finally drifted to his lower half and it was then that he could finally see the mythical creature that Zen was by the long fish tail that hovered over the rim of the tub. He stepped back for a moment and gulped.

"You're a mermaid?"

Zen managed to crack a smile. "Sort of. We prefer to be called Sirens."

Danny hesitated. He heard of sirens from reading Greek myths. They were beautiful women who with fishtails who sang seductive songs. However, he also knew they were deadly monsters and forced sailors who passed by to commit suicide by forcing their ships to crash on nearby rocky ships. Zen certainly was not woman but that did not mean that he would trust him anymore than he knew his musical talents. He kept his distance.

"Don't worry," the siren reassured him. "I'm not here to harm you. I called you here to help me. Danny, look." He winced, turned his back to show the deep gashes across his spine as blood seeped from his wound and turned the tub water a dark scarlet.

Danny gasped. "What happened?"

"I was hunting a monster," he explained. "There were two of them. I didn't anticipate their attacks and they wounded me. I wasn't able to heal myself in time and now I'm bleeding heavily. I need your help to heal me."

The teen shrugged. "What can I do?"

Zen lifted his webbed hands to him. "I just need for you to embrace me and I'll do the rest."

Danny paused. He did not know that much about Zen, much less the power of a Siren. It was bad enough that he knew werewolves and kanimas existed but do put his faith in a complete stranger who was a monster who killed humans was too much to handle.

"I…don't' know." The young man mumbled. "I'm not sure about this."

Zen sighed. "I know you're frightened of me. You should be but I made a solemn vow that I would protect you and keep you safe so I'm asking, as a compassionate person, to please help me."

"You…made a vow? To protect me?" He was thrown off guard by Zen's words. "By who?"

Zen coughed. "I can't tell you right now but all I ask is that you trust me."

Danny stood up and clenched his hands to his sides. His face frowned. "Tell me who!"

The siren cast his eyes down. "Please, Danny. I can't. It hurts too much." Tears welled inside the creature's black eyes.

Angrily, Danny kneeled down and glared at the hunter. "TELL ME WHO!" He demanded.

Zen stifled a whimper. "Your…brother David."

Danny's face turned white as Zen sobbed into the tub. The siren covered his eyes with his webbed hands as tears fell across his pale face. Zen started to ramble.

"We were in love…Boyfriends…We protected each other…He made the ultimate sacrifice…He's gone now…"

Watching the creature look distraught broke the teenager's heart. This thing that described a sibling he never knew meant each word that he said. Despite his monstrous appearance, Zen was very much human. Deep down he knew the siren would never harm him. He had to trust the stranger. Kneeling down, he crawled to the weeping thing, wrapped his arms around his bloody back and allowed the siren to nuzzle his neck. Wet webbed hands soaked the back of his shirt as he whispered in the siren's ear.

"What do we do next?" He asked the supernatural being.

"Listen to the music." Zen advised. "It's innately within you."

Danny concentrated. It too a minute or so before anything could happen but he closed his eyes and suddenly the most brilliant hum drifted through his ears once again. The beautiful lull produced the most wonderful melody. It shot through his body, released itself into the air, and entwined their bodies into a perfect harmony.

Through soft fingers, the Beacon Hills teen could feel the gashes of Zen's back slowly closing. The wounds began to seal and the pale damaged skin became soft and flawless flesh. Danny shifted his eyes toward Zen, noticed his black irises turning human as his slender face became fuller and he looked exactly like a normal, handsome teenage boy. Zen's fishtail immediately reverted back to human legs and he clutched the young man tightly as he glanced up and smiled in gratitude at the teen that just saved his life.

"Thank you," Zen grinned at Danny.

"You're welcome." Danny smiled back.

Their arms were locked tightly around each other and gazed into both their eyes for a second before their mouths met and they signified their appreciation with a kiss. The connection was instantaneous. They explored their curiosities for a bit before Danny assisted a naked Zen out of the tub and toward a nearby bedroom.

From then on, the pair enjoyed each other's company without the prejudice of their own preconceived notions of one another. Human and siren. Siren and human. The duo shared a human connection for that brief moment.

It was bliss.

* * *

The morning sunlight blinded Danny's eyes. He spread his arm to the other side of the pillow and noticed Zen's body missing. Pulling himself up around the sheets, he called outside toward the open bedroom door.

"Zen?"

The good looking siren appeared. Dressed in a basic sweater and jeans, he crossed through doorway holding a bag of food and a tray of coffee in his hands.

"Bagels and Starbucks this morning!" He set it down on the nightstand next to Danny. "Get dressed. We're going to be late for school."

Danny scrambled out of bed and quickly put on the clothes that he wore the night before. Once he got his sneakers on, he grabbed a bagel from the bag and sipped his latte.

Zen sat on the bed, watched his lover stare at him with curiosity, and sighed. "Okay, I know you have a million questions, so shoot."

Cocking his head to the side, Danny started with the most basic. "I guess we'll begin with, are you a mermaid or siren? Exactly, what does that mean?"

"Siren," the hunter replied. "Definitely Siren. There is always confusion between the two."

"Care to explain?"

"Sirens are exactly what the Greek myths say. We use seduction tactics through song to cause shipwrecks and to hypnotize sailors. In my case, I use the same methods to mesmerize humans in general."

Danny scratched his head. "How does that differ from a mermaid?"

"Mermaids get confused with Sirens a lot. The actually term for mermaids are Nix which basically humanoid beings with fishtails. However, real mermaids are ten times skinner, are bald, toothless, and look like oversized fish heads. Oh and they're only two feet tall. They're harmless though."

Danny gestured with a head nod as if he really understood. "So where do you come from?"

"We're from an ancient race that lives in the vast oceans underwater. Many of us have branched out into various areas of the globe. Many, like me, have learned to assimilate into human civilization and live in secret for centuries."

"Are there many of you?" He asked.

"It's hard to say." Zen answered. "Supernatural beings tend to conceal themselves and hide among the human world. Some choose to never reveal themselves and stay human while others opt to make their presence known, usually in a dangerous way." He turned his back, lifted his shirt, to reveal the wounds completely healed on his spine. It was if they never existed. "Last night I hunted a pair of underwater creatures who attacked me. Obviously, I lost."

The Beacon Hills teenager folded his arms. "The things that attacked you. Were they Sirens too?"

Zen shook his head. "No. Something else entirely. Cannibalistic creatures that are making their presence known in this town. I was sent here to stop them but so far I'm failing."

Danny gulped before asking his question. "I'm assuming Sirens are not cannibals?"

The hunter scowled. "No. We don't eat people."

"But from the stories I've read, Sirens do hypnotize sailors to take their own lives?"

Zen exhaled. "Yes, it's true. We have to power of hypnosis but we have a good reason to attack humans. Sirens are the warriors of the underwater kingdom. We are the guards that protect the sea from the land dwellers who wish to attack us. It's long story but basically we use our power to protect our kind. It was humans who created us, cursed us, and made us what we are. That's why we are threat to them as they are to us."

Danny rubbed his chin and shrugged. "I don't understand."

The hunter tried to explain. "Long ago before humans walked the Earth, the planet was completely covered in water and ruled by a great deity. This deity was an ancient sea god who created the Sirens, the Nix, and all other underwater creatures and created the first race of people upon this planet. Therefore, he descended from him. That all ceased when the Earth formed into land masses and placed the human species on it. The sea god wanted to make peace with the humans and offered a treaty between the land and sea by offering a marriage between the people of his ocean kingdom with that of the humans."

"Sounds like a good idea." The Beacon Hills teen remarked.

"It was." Zen agreed. "However the truce was short-lived. With the breeding of both the people of the sea and humans, a new race was formed where our kind could shapeshift between our human selves as well as our ocean bodies by allowing us to breathe the air of both the land and sea. This does not sit well with the other humans who grew envious of our dual nature and began waging a war against us in the name of preserving the purity of their race. Then a civil war broke out. Many casualties occurred on both sides. At the forefront were the Sirens who guarded the underwater kingdom by using their mystical gifts to fight back against the human soldiers. It would have not continued if not for the sea god enacting his wrath."

"What do you mean?" Danny inquired.

The teen continued. "To protect his people and punish the humans who attacked us with their ships, the deity created a huge storm and brought down a tidal wave that destroyed the human fleets. Our kind were forced back underwater and cursed to never return back to the human world. Some chose to stay on land and masquerade as humans; hence, they were forever banished from the paradise of the underwater kingdom while those that chose to side with the sea god found themselves imprisoned within the watery depths of the ocean for eternity. Eventually, our deity disappeared and a few escaped back to the surface and managed to assimilate into the human world. They began to seek others like them, breed offspring that could pass as human, and select a life of solitude and secrecy and this is the way it has been for centuries as the descendants of the underwater kingdom now have managed to create new lives and identities for themselves which accounts for my presence here in Beacon Hills."

"And that's what you've done?" Danny wondered. "Pretended to live as human?"

Zen slowly nodded. "I might be descended from the underwater folk but my family and my people have lived among your kind throughout history. We're as much human as you are."

Folding his arms, the Beacon Hills teen frowned. He was accepting the truth about the existence of underwater beings but he was still a bit perturbed by having to be involved with another supernatural creature. He just did not want to get into another complicated situation again. Yet, looming questions still bothered him. Danny decided to probe the Siren even more.

"You mentioned hunting some creatures," he commented. "What do you mean by that?"

Looking away, Zen twiddled this thumbs nervously before speaking. "It's complicated."

"Try me."

Once again, the hunter inhaled and exhaled. "I'm from a special organization. Another type of group that hunts monsters, you could say. I was sent here to investigate a hit-list that has been generating around that has been targeting supernatural beings. A dead pool in fact."

Danny flinched. "Dead pool? Someone's been putting names of creatures to kill?"

Zen nodded. "It's actually a copycat list from some strange Benafactor. I have yet to discover the identity of the person. Anyway, the reason why I came to Beacon Hills is because it's personal." He glanced at the lad. "You're on the list."

The young man's mouth opened wide. He stepped back and put both hands on his head and scratched his hair. "What? What do you mean? I'm not supernatural!"

He heard the hunter sigh again.

"You are."

Leaving the bedroom for a minute, Zen disappeared down hallway, ruffled through his duffle bag inside a nearby closet, and returned with a photograph in his hand. He handed the picture to Danny. The former lacrosse goalie examined the photo and saw it was him but wearing a tropical tank top, boardshorts, and wearing a puka shell necklace around his neck. His hair was wet, curlier, and hung long around his shoulders. Danny flipped the image around to see the picture dated from last year.

"Is this a joke?" He glared at Zen. "Did you photoshop this? It's obviously me but wearing different clothes and a different hairstyle."

Zen snatched it away from his hand and clucked. "No, it isn't you! It's your twin brother, David!"

Danny grabbed the picture back and stared at it. The resemblance was remarkable.

"You and him are identical twins," explained the hunter. "Your parents separated you two at birth. It was an agreement made by parties."

The teenager clucked. "That's can't be true! My father would have told me that I had a twin!"

Zen's brows formed an angry V-shape across his forehead. "Your father lied. He discovered your mother's secret and left her because he couldn't accept the fact of what she was. He took you with him and left her and your twin brother behind."

"But why?"

"Because," the Siren started. "She was exactly like me. A supernatural being. A child of the ocean. As was David and is you! I wasn't sure if you had the same gifts as your brother so I needed to find out when I came to this town but you proved it when you heard the music. Only our kind has the ability to hear the call, to listen to the song, and allow it guide us. Your late brother and I are the same. You, Danny Mahealani, are a…"

"Siren." He finally said the words but he did not want to believe them to be true. He had lived his whole life as a normal human being and did not want that change. Tears streaked down his face as he turned his back and began pounding the wall behind him in fury. "NO! IT'S NOT TRUE! IT'S NOT!" Slowly, he sank to the ground, pulled his knees to his chest, and cried.

Gently, Zen knelt down next to him. His hand squeezed his shoulder and he lifted the weeping boy's chin and smiled.

"Don't be afraid of what you are, Danny boy." The hunter's voice sounded calm. "It's not all bad. You were born with a gift and I'm here to teach you how to harness it. You were born special and that was your brother's dying wish that I would help embrace what you truly are."

Danny wiped his eyes and whimpered. "What…what happened to him? My brother…David, I mean?"

Tears also fell from Zen's eyes as he looked at him. "He died. A werewolf killed him. We were on a mission to research the hit-list and an Alpha got him. I killed the wolf but lost your brother in the end."

Danny's mouth quivered. "You really did love him?"

Zen nodded. "Yes." He mumbled. "I've always loved him."

More tears fell from the teen's eyes. "And me? Was I some rebound situation because I resembled your dead brother? Did you spend the night me last night because I look like him or did you ever really like me?"

Taken aback by his remark, Zen had to think about it. Part of him had to admit that the resemblance of his dead lover to his twin did play a part in their intimate encounter but since knowing Danny, he knew that the teenager was completely different than David. The hunter was torn.

"I…don't know." He told the young man. "I'm conflicted by my feelings now. I know you're not David nor do I want you to be. I just know that what we share last night was special to both us and I don't regret any of it."

Confused by his conflicting emotions, Danny wiped away his eyes. He forced himself up and decided not to deal with them as he exhibited a cold demeanor. "We better go." He said flatly. "We're going to be late for school."

Zen agreed and fought back his sadness. He got up as well and began to gather his school books and backpack from around the room. He noticed Danny watching him intensely but he knew that the lad was dealing with so much right now and wanted to provide him some space. The pair prepared to head out the door of the Siren's apartment when Danny finally said something.

"Zen?"

"Yes, Danny?"

The teen sighed. "I have few more questions. The first one is do you know if my birth mother is alive?"

Zen shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't. David refused to divulge whether or not your mother is still living. If she is, I'm sure she's in hiding."

"Next question." He addressed. "If I'm a Siren like you, am I evil and why haven't I changed?"

Zen shot him a grin. "Anyone can be capable of evil, Danny. It's the individual who chooses what they wish to make. As for completely shifting, you have never been taught how to evolve and harness your abilities. In time, I can help you achieve that."

"Lastly," Danny said as Zen opened the front door. "If I'm one of the targets on this dead pool list, then how can I protect myself if someone is trying to kill me?"

"No one is going to get eliminate you, Danny," the hunter reassured him. "Not on my watch. You have me as your own personal bodyguard."

He still was not convinced. "How can you be so sure that you can protect me?"

Zen smiled. "Because you have friends in high places. A werewolf pack, a fox, a coyote, a banshee, and even a hunter on your side. Trust me when I say we're going to enlist their help to make sure that you stay alive."


	6. Chapter 6

_Beacon Hills High_

The bell rang. Danny caught up to Stiles who was rushing to his history class.

"Stiles!"

The hyperactive teenager turned around. He glanced at the teen and raised his brows. "Danny boy, how long has it been? Why haven't you tried out again for your goalie position for your senior year? Were you busy with the pride parade? Getting those high heels ready?"

Danny frowned, grabbed the teen by the arm, and dragged him into the nearest boy's bathroom. He checked underneath the stalls, saw that it was clear, and then focused his attention back to Stiles.

The young man shrugged, rolled his eyes, and twisted his mouth in a sarcastic expression back to the gay teen. "I know you're hard up for some companionship after your break-up with Ethan but are you that desperate that you'll pull anyone for a quickie. Let tell you, Danny boy, that I'm not exactly your type."

"You got that right." The dark haired lad muttered.

Stiles felt offended. "What's wrong with me? Come on, Danny, if I was gay you'd want this!" He twerked his behind in front of him. "You can't tell me that you don't find this attractive?"

Gripping both hands on his shoulders, Danny straightened him out. "Believe me, no gay guy in their right mind would be remotely interested in you unless they were drunk enough and had their beer goggles on."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Oh puh-leaze! I know I'm attractive to gay guys! Even that creepy registered sex offender down the street thinks I'm hot! He's always checking me out!"

Danny shook his head and decided to change the subject. "Look, I didn't bring you in here to chat about your questioning sexual orientation. We've got bigger problems." He opted to be more direct. "I know about the dead pool and that Scott and your friends are werewolves as well your connection to other supernatural creatures."

The eyes on Stiles's face opened wide. His shock showed. He began to stutter. "You…you know?"

Nodding his head, the former lacrosse goalie confessed everything. "I've known for quite some time. I've spied on you guys during a couple instances when some monster made their unannounced appearances. The kanima attack in the library, the werewolves haunting the school, Miss Blake being some zombie sorcereress thing, yeah, I know all about the creatures that inhabit Beacon Hills. That's why I need your help." He paused. "Well, my friend does. He's a new transfer student and a hunter. He informed me about the supernatural hit-list and that I'm on it!"

Stiles tried to take in the information. He recalled the list Lydia printed up. He did not see Danny's name on any of them. "That's impossible! I triple checked the list. You're not on it!"

"Not on the one you have," the young man explained. "There's another copycat roster lying around. We discovered it and there's a second Benefactor that is putting other names that is not on the original."

"A second Benefactor?" The brown haired teen slapped his forehead. "That's all we need! More assassins coming to Beacon Hills and trying to kill everyone! Can't any of us enjoy a senior year where someone isn't making an attempt on our lives?"

Danny snickered. "Not if you live in Beacon Hills. This place is a magnet for all things supernatural."

"Since we're on the subject," Stiles stared at him. "If you're on another list, exactly what are you? Werewolf? Banshee? Kitsune? Were-coyote?"

"Complicated." Danny answered. "Even I haven't quite figured out what my thing is yet. Zen said…"

Stiles flinched. "Zen? Is that your new boyfriend? Jesus, Danny, you only recently broke up with Ethan and now you're rebounding with some new guy. You gay boys sure know how to mend a broken heart."

"Shut up, Stiles!" The teen shouted. "Look, my friend Zen is a hunter and knows more about this dead pool. Do you want our help or not?"

Lifting both hands, the sheriff's son surrendered. "Okay, okay. I'll stop with the jokes. What do you want me to do?"

"Zen is requesting that you call Scott and your friends and meet up at Dr. Deaton's clinic." He instructed. "Also, call Derek Hale and the other hunter, Chris Argent. He is asking for a meeting with everyone." Shuffling his feet, Danny headed for the entrance of the bathroom. He then turned to Stiles to see if he could administer the message. "Do you think you can do that?"

"I guess." Stiles shrugged. "What time?"

"Eight o'clock." The lad answered. "Tell no one else. We don't how many killers are out there that are trying to infiltrate the school." He remembered the PSAT incident. "Thankfully no one died during that contagion breakout. Keep your eyes and ears open for anyone who posing as regular person."

Danny started to push the door to the bathroom to leave when Stiles called on to him again. "How come you didn't take the PSAT's like everybody else?"

The teen smiled as he pushed the door open. "I took them at another school during the summer. I figured I'd get a head start on my college applications. I scored a 1300 which isn't bad."

"Don't brag," Stiles scowled. "With all the life threatening situations constantly in our faces, I'll be lucky if I even score a 1200."

Danny laughed. "You'll be fine, Stiles. You're one of the smart ones. You'll get a perfect 1600 real easily. Now if you excuse me, my music class awaits!"

The young man slipped through the entrance, shut the bathroom door behind him and headed to music class. Stiles hesitated for a moment and waited for the bell to ring.

He decided to be a minute late for history.

* * *

_Beacon Hills Vet Clinic_

Dr. Deaton scanned everyone inside the patient's room and took attendance of everyone who came to this secretive meeting. It was the usual beginning with Scott who stood next to Stiles and a confused Kira while a curious Derek Hale stared at Danny and Zen standing across from them from the clinical bed. Notably absent was Malia who, for personal reasons, avoided the Alpha and the sheriff's son after learning about her connection to the Hale family. Also not present was Lydia who left a message that she needed to deal with some family issues with her mother concerning her grandmother. Her friends did not question her. Instead, the group waited for Chris Argent to arrive before starting the meeting.

"So this is the hunter?" Derek eyed the Eurasian teenager with interest. "Doesn't look like much."

Zen curled his mouth. "So says the former Alpha who is having issues with his wolf powers." He glared at the natural born werewolf. "Have you told your friends that Kate has somehow stolen your abilities?"

Scott addressed Derek who appeared equally surprise. "Kate, took your werewolf gifts? How is that even possible?"

The older lycanthrope sighed. "I don't know. It's strange. I'm not as strong as use to be and my eyes aren't glowing very much anymore."

"Oh great," Stiles mumbled. "We got a dead pool, assassins, Kate Argent the were-jaguar, and Bezerkers after us and our only experienced werewolf is losing his powers. What else can go wrong?"

Derek returned to attention to Zen. "How did you know about Kate stealing my abilities?"

"My organization keeps tabs on everyone." The young man responded. "We've been updated with what's been going on in Beacon Hills. That's why I'm here. I'm trying to help out as much as I can by prioritizing which is finding out the identity of the copycat list and the Benefactor involved."

Deaton decided to jump in. "Maybe first, you'd to explain what you are. Stiles told us that you're not only a hunter but that you and Danny are supernatural also?"

"Yes." Zen replied. "Danny and I are stuff of legends and myths. We're…"

"Sirens."

All eyes turned to Chris Argent who walked into the room, looking stoic and exhibiting a cool demeanor.

Kira shifted her attention back to the teenage hunter. "Wait? Like in the Greek myths? You're like a mermaid?"

"Mermaids are actually things called Nix." Danny answered her question. "They're miniature versions and not as pretty. Apparently, they're the little people of sea." He repeated the knowledge that Zen had given him.

Chris Argent nodded. "Exactly, except Danny and Zen here are Sirens." He glanced at the boys with keen interest. "I've heard of their kind but I haven't ever seen one up close. All ocean creatures tend to stick together and conceal themselves." He gestured to the young hunter. "Have you told them about the truth about essence?"

Zen shook his head and exhaled. "No."

Danny questioned his lover. "What's essence?"

Swallowing his guilt, the teen began to speak. "Essence is human life. It's the life force within mortals and land breathers that all creatures of the sea need in order to live. It's our sustenance. Our food."

The former goalie flinched. "You never told me that! You never told me that I had to eat people!"

Shaking his head, Zen attempted to calm him down. "We don't eat people. We're not cannibals. In order for any child of the ocean, be it a Siren or Nix, needs to retrieve essence from an individual, we need to drag our prey near water and drown them in order for their life force to show. At the moment of death, we will see a light glow and that point we will drink in that light until the last breath of our prey is dead. New Sirens, like yourself Danny, must drink once a month where more experienced ones, like me, can last three months before we need to take another life. It's the vicious cycle of the food chain. Every predator has prey and we eat them. It's the natural order of things. Essence is what we live on. It heals us, feeds us, and gives us power. It's the way things are."

"But you don't kill innocents." Chris added. "I've heard your kind made a vow of nobility to only take essence from the non-innocent. Is that true?"

Zen nodded. "Centuries ago, our elders decreed that all land dwellers must not be harmed, unless they are exhibit a kind of evil trait within them. The human and supernatural worlds are never without evil beings. Killers, murderers, rapists, pedophiles, as well as the vilest criminals that walk the face of the Earth. We learn to hunt our prey, stalk them, and strike when the time is right. Law enforcement turns a blind eye to any criminal drowning and with good reason, it's not like they don't deserve it."

"That still doesn't explain Danny not growing a fish tail." Stiles commented. "I mean he was on the swim team. He never sprouted gills or ever dabbled in his every growing need to sing Disney songs."

Danny shot Stiles a dirty look while Zen answered the boy's questions.

"Danny carries the Siren gene. However, he is half human and like most hybrids of both supernatural and mortal births, there is a fifty-fifty chance that they'll ever exhibit their natural gifts. In Danny's case, he is identical twin and according to our race, only a child of a dual nature can be born with the powers of the sea. For Danny, his twin brother, David, was bestowed the gift and in accordance to our laws, only that chosen offspring will be granted the abilities of the Siren. Should that person die, then the sibling shall inherit his brother's abilities. David did die and so his powers have been transferred to Danny. It's just that he hasn't fully embraced his powers yet and hasn't ascended into his shapeshifting abilities."

"Ascended?" The former goalie cocked his head. "You mean like an angel?"

Zen giggled. "Trust me. We're no angels. For you to be bestowed fully your Siren powers, you have to be reborn. You have to evolve. You have to die."

Upon hearing the news, Danny backed away. "Whoa! Who said anything about dying?"

The supernatural warrior slowly approached him. "It's your destiny. It's our connection to the sea, by drowning. You have to shed your mortal shell and embrace your true nature. You are a Siren, Danny. Don't fear it and don't run away from it. You heard the song and it called out to you. It's part of our nature. You were denied the true heritage of your birth because your father feared it and left your mother. He suppressed it, force you to become human and forbade you from every knowing your real family. You can't tell that hurts a little?"

Danny sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and glanced down. "I'll admit. I always wanted to know more about my mother and her side of the family. I'm just not sure if this Siren thing is for me."

Placing his hand on his shoulder, Zen lifted the boy's chin with his thumb and smiled. "It is. In time, you'll come to accept it. The sea is where your real home is as foretold by our god."

Deaton rushed over to the shelf nearby and pulled out an old book. He flipped through the pages quickly, found what he was looking for, and put it on the counter for everyone to see. Scott and his friends lowered their eyes to the black and white ancient illustrations that were displayed on the paper.

"I knew that I remembered something about Sirens." The vet declared. His finger pointed to the series of drawings showing part of a man in ancient garb with a fish tail instead of legs on his lower half. "The original sea god, Dagon!" He looked at Zen. "That's the deity you're referring to!"

Stiles lifted his brows. "Who's Dagon?"

Deaton explained. "According to ancient Mesopotamian, Assyrian lore, Dagon was the original god of the oceans. He's described in various ways from having a human body and a fish tail to being more monstrous with the head of a kraken and a serpent's body. He predates the Greek god Poseidon. From what I understand, his children were the first sea offspring like the Nix and the Sirens." He then scanned to an important passage in the book. "Due to some unforeseen problems in their genetics, his children were unable to produce progenies of their own so Dagon ordered his people to breed with the humans; thus, creating hybrids who could breathe the air on land and of the oceans. Eventually Man grew envious of the sea people's dual nature and attacked them through various wars, the most significant being the sinking of the island city of Lemuria."

Chris Argent added. "Lemuria was what many scholars referred to as the legendary city of Atlantis. It went by the Greek name back then."

"Exactly." The vet agreed. "To protect his people, Dagon cursed his children and sank Lemuria deep within the ocean so that Man could no longer harm them. However, it doing so the dual natured ones became homesick and longed to return the surface. Many escaped the sinking and ended up assimilating into the human world and passing themselves off as mortals."

Kira decided to ask her question. "What happened to Dagon?"

"He vanished into the underground darkness from whence he came." Zen answered. "The ocean god simply disappeared but left a legacy of civil war among his children. Those loyal to Dagon became corrupt and ended up performing murderous rituals in his name while others like my kind believed in a peaceful cohabitation with humans. We were defeated. The crazed, murderous ones banished the rest of my people to the surface where we lived in exile for eternity. However, once in a while descendants of the killing ones do show up and leave their mark."

"Like the ones who killed Araya's hunters." Chris remarked. Zen said nothing but the Argent knew better. "Apparently, two underwater monsters attacked and killed one of the Calaveras just days ago by tearing out their hearts and some of their bones."

Derek heard this and frowned. "Wait. These are the same cannibals that murdered a few people recently. What's the connection? What are they?"

"Keres." Zen responded. "Cannibalistic sea-folk who eat the hearts of their victims to survive. They also remove a piece of bone, wear it as trophy, and claim to do it in the name of Dagon. They're really bad news. I came across a couple who nearly killed me."

Danny scratched his head and put the pieces together. "So that's how you ended up with those deep wounds the other night. You were fighting them."

Zen nodded. "Keres are a cross between an octopus and an electric eel. Their tentacles are sharp and deadly and they emit a voltage that can be lethal. I was able to cut one with my sword."

Chris listened and approached him. "Wait, you wounded one? Now Keres are shapeshifters too, right?"

"Of course. It's that hybrid human-sea creature connection. We can pass off as humans. I still don't know what the mortal form the Keres are hiding in."

"Obviously, it has to be someone close." The Argent hunter remarked. "These Keres seem to know our every move so it must mean they're disguising themselves as someone we know. If you cut one of them the other night, then we have to look for someone who has is carrying around a severe wound."

"One the leg!" Zen's eyes lit up. "I sliced the Keres at the tail so when they shift that means one of their legs was wounded. We look for someone who bears a wounded leg!"

Chris grinned. "Well then, we got our work cut out for ourselves. We'll have to look for someone we know who has a wounded leg."

Tossing is arms up, Stiles scoffed. "You're talking about Beacon Hills here! Just about every high school jock injures their leg in a game! We can't assume they're all Keres!" He glared at Zen. "Besides, how do we know we can trust this guy? I mean he's a hunter and a Siren and he knows way more about this Benefactor thing than we do!"

Dr. Deaton calmed his friend. "He's more than a hunter. He's a Paladin."

Scott's eyes opened wide. "A Paladin? What's that?"

Derek replied. "A Paladin. A specialized knight. They're the holiest and purest hunters of the cause. Zen is part of the Ex Aedibus Sacrae Congregationis Concili which means the Council of the Holy Cross. They're an honorable order of hunters who protect the innocent including all supernatural creatures. They employ werewolves into their fold. My mother told me about them."

Stiles shook his head confused. "But I thought all hunters were the same?" He turned to Chris. "Don't you guys have a newsletter or something or do you have secret fight club that you guys attend?"

Chris smirked. "There are several different hunter organizations. We all operate for a similar purpose but not all our motives are the same. The lines are blurred. The Argents, the Calaveras, and even the Paladins do it to protect humanity but there are some that have gone rogue and do it for their selfish gains. I've been doing some digging and my friends, who are hackers, found a money trail online. Apparently, the copycat hit-list runs deep." He glanced at Zen. "It involves the P.A.C.T."

Zen's mouth dropped. "The P.A.C.T.? They're still up and running?"

The Argent exhaled. "Apparently, they never disbanded. They're like cockroaches. They continue to move when you squash them."

"What's the P.A.C.T.?" Kira wondered.

"The P.A.C.T. stands for The Purity Alliance Covenant Trinity." Chris informed her. "They're an extremist hunter group that spreads to several networks. Many noble hunters have tried to take them down but they always manage to pop up somewhere else. They're responsible for the Benefactor list and its copycat dead pool. It turns out there's more than one Benefactor involved who is running the show which is going to make this situation even more complicated."

Slapping his head, Scott growled his frustration. "You mean tell me that there are several Benefactors? This P.A.C.T. has several networks? Damn, we're all dead!"

"Not quite," Chris stated. "Even if this deadly game is being played all over the world, then that means there are only two running the show in Beacon Hills. Our task is to isolate each one and take him or her down. For now, let's concentrate on the copycat list since it is only small potatoes and then we'll take on the Big Baddie."

"But how?" Kira questioned. "We don't even know who this copycat Benefactor is. Then there's the two Keres we have to deal with."

"We might have a clue." Zen suggested. "Back in Hawaii, the Order sent me to investigate the first dead pool when one of the P.A.C.T.'s men, an Alpha named Paul Montgomery, was placed on the list. It seems the P.A.C.T. has no loyalties for their own people. Anyway, the Alpha attacked, murdered Danny's brother David, and I killed him in the process. Then the Benefactor deposited the money to which I was able to hack into an unidentifiable temporary account. This particular copycat is employing supernatural beings to do his or her dirty work so it would only be feasible that this person would employ Keres too."

Stiles groaned. "So now we got evil hunter Keres to worry about? Can this situation get any worse?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," noted Dr. Deaton. "There are records that show Keres being employed in Roman wars where battles took place at sea. Somehow, this second Benefactor must've known that a Siren was being sent to Beacon Hills and recruited two sea creatures to battle Zen."

"This is true," said Chris Argent. "Everyone who is participating in the dead pool are experienced killers. They could be disguising themselves as anyone and just waiting to strike."

Scott McCall folded his arms and gave everyone a pep talk. "Then we strike back! We have a pack on our side, hunters, Sirens, a fox, and every supernatural person helping! I say we fight back! I'm tired of seeing my friends hurt or killed!"

Stiles curled his lips. "Great speech, Scott but let's try to tone down the Braveheart speech! I'd like to make it to graduation alive!"

"Scott's right." Derek supported him. "We have to be ready! Another war is coming to Beacon Hills and we've to be prepared to fight! We're not going to let another name be added to the dead pool list!"

Something in the werewolf's speech made sense. Everyone was tired of being a victim. They were going to unite together and take down this copycat killer.


	7. Chapter 7

_Access Denied. Username and Password Error. Access Denied. Username and Password Error._

His watch showed eight o' clock in the evening. Zen tried every possible suggestion from putting in his identity, Scott's pack, and even Danny's first and last name to hack into the copycat Benefactor's server. However, no matter what he inputted into his laptop, he could not crack the code to find the trail that led up to the identity of their enemy. Frustrated, he propped his feet up on the couch and instead focused on the Mahealani décor of Danny's house.

Cultural symbols and Hawaiian artwork adorned the walls and shelves to which the hunter easily identified each object in the living room. He recognized the Pacific Islander influences and caught a glimpse of Mr. Mahealani's photo in a frame nearby. The chiseled bronze features and dark hair were quite prominent in the picture and Zen could see the resemblance of both Danny and his late brother David in their father's appearance.

A rumbling from the kitchen caught his attention as the former goalie came into the living room carrying two empty glasses of ice and a large Pepsi bottle. He placed them on the coffee table as the hunter moved his feet on the floor, set his laptop on the counter and poured himself a drink.

"Thanks for the refreshment." He told the teenager. "I was thirsty." Taking a sip of his Pepsi, he noticed Danny staring at him with sad eyes and returned his drink back on the coffee table. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Danny exhaled. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away. "I guess I'm just wondering…about this whole Siren thing. The part about what you said about me having to die to ascend to my true nature. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that."

Zen stood up from the couch, folded his arms, and shared some words of wisdom. "No one ever is. When I discovered that I was a Siren and had to go through the same traumatic event to claim my birthright, I rejected my heritage and ran away many times. However, destiny has a way of catching up to you. Back when I was a boy, one of the P.A.C.T. sent a hunter after me. He didn't know I was Siren so he drowned me which caused me to evolve into my true self. I fought him off, drank his essence and from then I learned my significance and connection to Dagon. I've finally embraced who I am with pride and, eventually, you will to."

"Did my brother go through the same thing?" He wondered. "Did he reject his destiny?"

The hunter slowly closed his eyes and opened them. His voice displayed a sad tone. "We all deny our true sea selves at some point in time. Embracing our secretive nature is scary but let me tell you, Danny, that our gifts are truly a blessing. However, the Fates always knows when the time is right for us to embrace our true calling. I can't tell when you'll ascend, Danny. I can only assure you that you have nothing to fear."

Danny's body lowered on to the couch. Hugging himself, he tried to find comfort in the young man's words but it did very little in easing his worries. He turned his eyes away before returning his gaze back to Zen.

"One more thing I have to know," he said. "Last night and the first time we met, did you feel anything for me or were you thinking about David when we were together? Were you using me because I look exactly like him?"

Pain blocked his throat. Zen attempted to swallow but it got caught halfway down. He could not speak right away. Inhaling a breath, he tried to explain.

"I don't know." It was all he could fathom. His hand raked through his hair. "I know you're not David. You can never be him. But the moment, we kissed, when we touched, it was different and wonderful. Believe me, I love David. I will always love him but you're a different person. How I feel about you is wrong and I'm torn by my emotions. I shouldn't feel anything…I don't want to feel anything…It's already hard for our kind."

Danny frowned and probed more into the hunter's explanation. "What do you mean by that?"

Zen could feel his eyes water. "Sirens are Dagon's secret warriors. The sea deity blessed us with his magic to protect our people from the ones who wish to do us harm. Part of that is the music which you and I can hear and generate. When we inflict that music on to a land dweller, they become entranced and enthralled to the point that they are hypnotized by us. It makes them obsessive and eventually results in madness. Our victims will do anything for us even forsake their lives if we ask them to. That's why the Siren's song is dangerous and must be used cautiously. Sirens are known for our seductive nature. That's why all air breathers gravitate toward us. Haven't you felt it or noticed why many boys are attractive to you?"

The Beacon Hills teen never noticed it before but he did seem to attract a number of handsome gay men which resulted in doomed romances.

"That's your supernatural nature of a Siren that causes that. Sirens, whether male or female, emit a special pheromone that makes us desirable to potential mates. In small doses, it leads to several intimate encounters but nothing substantial. Any potential relationships are doomed from the start. Sirens are never known to be faithful which puts a wrench in something long term so we're always alone. Our nature is one of pure isolation and a nomadic existence. It's very lonely. That's why your parents' marriage never worked out. I'm assuming your father could not deal with the fact that your mother's seductive nature would interfere with their union."

"And that's probably why they divorced." Danny concluded sadly. Casting his eyes down, he put his hand to his mouth and tried to realize the truth. "When I was seven, my father got drunk and began babbling about my mother's infidelities. He regretted ever marrying her and was angry that she fought for custody of me. Little did I know I had a twin brother that was alive and living with her. I guess that explains why he never kept any photographs and refused to mention her when I brought up the subject. I guess her be a Siren definitely ruined the marriage." He stared at Zen. "Tell me, is she still alive?"

"I don't know." The hunter replied. "David said he and your mother had falling out after the Paladins recruited him and me and they haven't spoken since. She held a deep resentment for humans and over the years. Maybe her marriage to your father made her bitter about her feelings, who knows? All I know is that she went into hiding and disappeared from view. I'm sorry, Danny. I don't know if she's even still alive."

The former goalie sighed and rubbed his hands. "I guess it's for the best. I don't know what to say to her especially when I've been living with my dad for far too long. I think it's better if we don't ever meet."

"And you and me?" Zen probed nervously. "Do have any regrets about meeting?" His insides ached. He wanted the teenager to hold him and to forgive him for his betrayal. It was all wishful thinking.

"I don't." Danny responded; his face unchanged. "But what you're saying about Sirens being unfaithful, then that means there's no chance for the two us to try and start something if we both know it'll end up with the both of hurting each other when it's over. I don't think I can go through that again."

Zen folded his arms and twisted his mouth in hesitation. "You don't have to. Sirens may not be faithful to humans but that doesn't mean that our kind can't find some compromise and try to make a relationship work. I've tried it with your brother and we somehow made it work. I'm not going to lie and say that it was easy. It wasn't but I'm willing to try if you are. The only thing that I ask from you is to stop comparing yourself to David and just be you."

"That's just it, Zen." The teenager remarked. "How can you feel for me when you still haven't let go of your feelings for my dead brother? I'm the one that's here, not David! Can you honestly say that you see me as Danny and not as David?"

Zen's face paused. Admitting the truth was hard. Could he truly separate the two and accept one sibling as separate individual than the other? He could not answer the question. He was still torn.

Danny exhaled, blinked for a moment, and whispered. "I see. I guess that's all we have to say."

The doorbell rang to which decreased the tension. The former goalie went to the front door and went to check the peephole.

It was Ralphy and Dina Kendrick and they were holding plastic bags of takeout food in their hands.

Zen rushed to turn off his laptop as Danny opened the door to greet the married couple.

"Hey Danny boy!" Ralphy exclaimed. "Thought you'd might be hungry! I picked up dinner!" The handsome neighbor looked normal in a t-shirt and shorts as his equally beautiful wife wore a tank top and sweats. Gone were their nightclub attire and standing in their place were a pair normal looking spouses.

Dina lifted up the takeout bag. "I brought General Woo's. The chow mein from that Chinese place is to die for! Since we're off tonight and the kids are again with the grandparents, Ralphy and I thought we'd stop by to feed you since you're all alone and still thinking about Ethan…" Suddenly, she noticed Zen standing in the living room and gasped. "Oh! I didn't know you had company!"

Zen extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Zen. I'm in Danny's music class. I play the first violin in the school's orchestra. Danny and I were working on some homework together."

Dina and Ralphy shook the hunter's hand to which they he noticed them examining him like a hawk.

"Gee, Danny boy," the blonde woman snorted. "On the rebound again? You couldn't wait a few weeks?"

Raising his hands, Danny shook his head. "No, no. It's nothing like that. Zen and I…" He paused to say explain whatever the two had. "Are friends!" He concluded.

Ralphy rolled his eyes. "Friends." Sarcasm droned in his voice. "Sure."

"No we are." The teen protested. "We're just working on homework."

Ralphy attempted to say something but quickly winced as he began limping. A trickle of blood poured down from his shorts and down his leg. Danny noticed this and exclaimed.

"You're bleeding!"

Dina placed the food on the coffee table and quickly came to her husband's rescue. "Oh it's nothing serious." She explained. "Ralphy was fixing the upstairs window and accidentally fell and broke the glass. It cut his thigh a bit and I bandaged him up. We just need to a minute to change the dressing." She turned Danny. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

Danny pointed to the hallway. "Bathroom. Down the hall."

"Thanks." The blonde woman smiled. She assisted her husband into the restroom and went to fix his wounds.

Once they disappeared, Danny turned to Zen and whispered in his ear.

"Zen, you mentioned you cut one of the Keres with your sword. You don't think Ralphy and Dina are shapeshifters in disguise?"

Zen shrugged his shoulders and responded quietly. "I don't know but we can't be too careful. How well do you know them?"

"Five years." Danny answered. "They're our neighbors when we first moved here to Beacon Hills. Dina and Ralphy work at the Jungle and sometimes let me in for free."

Rolling his eyes, the hunter scowled. "You're basing your trust on people who give you free cover at a nightclub?"

The teen sighed. "Plus, they have kids."

"Have you met their kids?"

Then it hit him, Danny realized that during those five years of living next door he had never met any of the Kendrick clan.

"Uh…they talk about them a lot. They seem like good people!"

"Danny!" Zen shouted in a tiny whisper. "How can you not know if your neighbors had any kids? Haven't you seen or heard from them?"

The former goalie clucked his tongue and tried to explain himself. "I thought the kids were well-behaved. That's why they were never seen or heard. Plus, they said they were always at their grandparents. I figured they were out of the house a lot."

The hunter groaned. He slipped his hand into his back pocket and felt for a tiny blade. "Thank God, I concealed a knife on me."

"Let's just hope you don't have to use it." Danny replied.

They heard the bathroom door open as Dina and her husband came walking out of the hallway.

"All better!" The pretty blonde declared. "Ralphy just busted a stitch a little but I patched him up."

Ralphy smirked and shook his leg. "See? Good as new."

Dina grabbed the takeout food from the coffee table and headed into the kitchen. "Since we have enough food here, I figure that Danny boy here and his date would love to join us?"

"I love to." Zen smiled.

Danny frowned. "He's not my date!"

Ralphy Kendrick snickered in his usual sarcastic manner. "Sure, he isn't."

* * *

Awkward silence filled the dining room table as everyone ate their fill of noodles, rice, and kung-pao chicken. Danny and Zen allowed Dina and Ralphy to serve themselves first, fearing the food might be poisoned, and became relieved when they discovered it was not contaminated.

After a few minutes of strained silence, Ralphy decided to break the tension.

"So Zen," he addressed the hunter. "Are you originally from Beacon Hills?"

The Siren eyed the bartender suspiciously and played along with his interrogation. "Actually, I'm from Hawaii. A town called Konaville, in fact. It's on the island of Kauai."

"Hawaii." Ralphy acted pleasantly surprised. "Our little Danny boy here was born there too." He gestured to the teenager. "Do you know what island?"

"I'm not sure," said Danny. "My father never told me much after he and my mom split up. I think it might have been Maui."

Dina giggled. "This is a coincidence. You and Zen are both from same state. It's like fate brought you two together."

Zen mumbled with piece of noodle in him mouth. "Funny thing about fate, it can be quite fickle especially when it tends to mask something that is about to happen?"

The bartender curled his mouth downward. "What do you mean? Don't you believe that fates and destinies are real? That certain paths are chosen for us and it's unavoidable to try to escape them the same in death?"

"I'm not scared to die, Mr. Kendrick." Zen stated. "It's how I want to go that determines what path my fate will take me."

Hearing his intrigued him, Ralphy closed his hands and leaned in. "How is it you want to go, Zen? How do you want to die?"

Zen leaned forward. "I want to die fighting. Wouldn't you?"

The bartender smirked. "Only if there was no other option." He turned to his wife. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Dina's face changed to something more serious. "Absolutely. Fighting until your last breath is much more commendable. It shows courage and bravery. Anything else is pure cowardice."

Reaching behind his back, the hunter clutched his secret blade. Danny noticed this and gently put his hand on top of Zen's and secretly shook his head to warn him. The Siren accepted the lad's silent advice and withdrew from using his weapon.

Once again, Ralphy bombarded him with more questions. "If I must be so bold, Zen, exactly, what are your intentions toward our Danny boy?"

"Nothing that might be considered harmful or bears any ill-will." Zen answered with a sly response. "Danny and I are trying to figure out this thing we have so I can't rightfully answer your question, Mr. Kendrick."

Dina shot him a wicked grin. "Understand, Zen, that Danny is like family. We consider him one of our own. We would hate to see him hurt. It would definitely pain us if someone with less than honorable intentions decides to lead him down a path that wasn't chosen for him."

"I assure you, Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick." Zen emphasized. "Danny is a big boy and can make his own decisions. The path that he chooses will be his own and I'm sure he will make the right choice."

"Exactly!" Danny snapped. He threw down his napkin and stood up from his chair. "Look, I appreciate everyone's concern for me! I do! But who I choose to see or date is up to me! Whatever paths, destinies, fates, or anything is entirely up to me to decide so I politely ask that everyone to please butt out of my life and let me make my own choices!"

Ralphy leaned back and blushed. "I'm sorry, Danny. Dina and I didn't mean to put you on the spot. It's just that…" He stuttered. "We look to as you as one of our kids. Call it bizarre but we're just looking out for your best interest."

Dina agreed and shrugged his shoulders. "You can't fault us for being a little overprotective?"

The teenager sighed and smiled at the married couple. "Thank you for your concerns but I'm doing fine on my own. I'm doing great in a school, I'm applying to the best colleges, and I'm graduating with honors. Things are going wonderful for me." He nodded to Zen. "As for new potential prospects in my personal life, I'm going to need some time to figure things out. I'm going to make mistakes and I'm going to get hurt. It's all a part of dating. No one ever said that romance was going to be easy."

Zen stood up next to the lad. "Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick." He addressed the couple. "Danny and I have an understanding. I don't know what lies ahead for the both us but as far as he is concerned, Danny is going to determine where his true path lies. I'm going to be supportive and help him, as best I can, to discover what journey he was meant to take. I'm sure he'll make the right choice."

Cocking his head to side, the bartender frowned. "And what if he doesn't, Zen? What if the choices he makes are beneath his true potential? Are you going to be there to pick up the pieces? My wife and I have known Danny since he and his father moved to this town and I think we both know what it is in his best interest."

His wife even agreed. She nodded her hair and joined in the conversation. "Danny is a very special boy and I would hate for the wrong person to influence him and stray him for his true path. They do say the road can be fraught with danger and only my husband and I can ensure that Danny is safely directed on the right course. I would hate to see him veer off and select an incorrect decision that he might regret later on. I'm sure you, of all people, can understand?" Her voice sounded menacing.

The hunter did not fear the mysterious couple. "I understand completely." He leaned in close to the potential Siren. "Danny is going to stay right where he is and I'm going to be his side to make sure he doesn't consider any wrong decisions." Slipping his arm around the young man's shoulder, he watched as Dina and Ralphy Kendrick began to grit their teeth.

Both Danny's neighbors were seething.

Ralphy stood up from his chair and was immediately joined by spouse. "Well, Danny boy, it seems that you already have your mind set up. I'm sorry to hear that."

Dina pouted. "You should've listened to the people who know you the best."

They pushed their chairs into the dining room table and began to head out. Danny followed his neighbors as he opened the front door for them to let them outside.

Limping and looking frustrated, Ralphy glared at the Beacon Hills student. "I hope you really reconsider your choices, Danny. The path that Zen is laying out for you is not for your true path."

"I'll live." The teen managed to flash a smile.

Dina crossed outside but not before whispering something in his ear. "Know your true destiny, Danny. I would speak to a scholar who knows more about your lineage." She eyed him up and down. "This person I see before me isn't the real you. The real you is lying in wait and eventually, it is bound to come out! Do reconsider our offer. I really think you'll be better off."

Danny rolled his eyes and closed the front door. Through the peephole he watched as Dina assist a limping Ralphy off the front porch and on to the sidewalk. The pair eventually disappeared into their house next door.

The former goalie backed away from the peephole, folded his arms, and sighed.

"Exactly, what is my true destiny?" He said to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

Susan Kimes scratched her forehead with her flute. The fact that her unruly, curly brown hair would not stay in place annoyed her so much that she almost considered getting a pixie cut. She had been growing out her hair since she was a child, expecting it to be luxurious and free flowing but instead it chose to head out into all sorts of varied directions which left her no other option but to put it in a ponytail.

Dressed in her typical overalls and ratty shirt, she followed her fellow bandmate, Larry Quatro, toward the school's pool area and waited for the rest of the orchestra in front of the gate.

"Are you sure Danny said for the orchestra to meet here afterschool?" She asked the clarinet player.

The chubby red headed boy lisped through his braces. "Yeah, he said this area had the best acoustics so we're rehearsing here."

"Why not the boiler room?" She wondered. "We always practice in there."

Larry shrugged. "Something about the sound clarity being better. Apparently, the music will bounce off the water and with the open-air; it'll help us hear ourselves when we play. Besides, our first competition is next month and it is an open-air arena."

"Yeah, but I'm sure it'll actually be outside and not around some stupid high school pool." Susan scoffed. She stroked her messed-up hair. "Besides this outdoor sun is making my hair frizz."

The clarinet player rolled his eyes. "How can you tell?"

Offended his comment, the flute player slapped her instrument on her palm. She glared at her bandmate. "One more word about my hair and I'll shove this flute up your…"

"Hey guys!"

Danny waved to the pair as an excited Susan swooned. She eagerly dashed to greet him until she saw Zen trailing close behind him with his violin case in his hand. Embarrassed, she began to back away.

"Were you guys waiting long?" The former goalie asked the duo.

"Just a few minutes." Larry replied. "Susie and I got here early as soon as school let out. Is everyone coming?"

"I sent a mass text to meet at the pool for rehearsals." Danny explained. "I'm sure they'll arrive in a couple of minutes. Mr. Hammell has a faculty meeting to attend to so he'll be late. In the meantime, we'll get started with a few pieces we've working on so we can be ready for next month's competition."

Zen agreed. "I've been practicing Mendessohn's Violin Concerto in E minor non-stop. I'm more than ready for it."

"Glad to hear it." The redheaded junior smiled. "We're a shoo-in for regionals."

"I'll open the gates." Danny suggested. "The custodian gave me the keys and I've got permission from the principal. We can start setting up the stands and chairs while we wait for everyone to arrive."

Pulling the keys out of his pocket, the teen unlocked the gates as the quartet headed inside. Larry, Zen, and Danny went inside the storage room to grab the folding chairs to set up while Susan stayed behind and began pacing the rim of the pool's edge. As someone who never learned to swim, she was fascinated by the bright sparkles of the water's surface and the beautiful blue reflection it made from the sky above. She knelt down, dipped her fingers a bit, and laughed as the wetness of damp digits fascinated her. She rubbed her hands together to dry herself off when she noticed something floating semi-halfway up to the top of the pool. She went to investigate.

Creeping toward the other corner of the large swimming area, Susan glanced down to see a figure lying face down underneath the water. From what she could tell, the figure was obviously male from the long masculine t-shirt and jeans that he wore. Blood surrounded him that originated from the gaping hole on his upper back to where his heart would have been in the front. Nervously, she swallowed as she forced herself to look at the dead body suspended in such a state before she noticed two objects piled below the body and on to the pool's flooring. A bow and cello rested at the bottom of the pool.

Susan eyes turned from the deserted instruments to the dead boy and she realized with horror the identity of the corpse.

It was her other bandmate Santiago Cordova.

She screamed.

* * *

Sheriff Stilinski had his hands full already. With the dead pool list and his son informing him of another copycat Benefactor on the loose, it made his job even more stressful. Add to that the knowledge of more supernatural creatures entering Beacon Hills and he almost considering retiring. Luckily, he reconsidered.

His department removed the body of cellist Santiago Cordova as he questioned Danny, Zen, Larry, and a distraught Susan concerning the incident. Stiles raced toward the swimming facility alone as he watched his father question the foursome.

"So the gates were locked when you arrived?" The Beacon Hills officer inquired.

"Yes." Danny said as he flashed the keys. "I opened the gates and I, Larry, and Zen went to set up the chairs for orchestra rehearsals."

"Th…that's when…I found Santiago." Susan whimpered. "There's…so…much blood…so much…"

Danny went to embrace the sobbing girl. Normally, the junior would have loved an opportunity to be welcomed in the senior's arms but she was too emotional to even notice. Instead, she accepted his comforting friendship.

Stiles decided to intervene. "Dad! I think there might be a connection here with the other recent deaths." He hinted on the obvious.

His father did not appreciate it. "Stiles! Stay out of this! We're handling it!"

Stiles raised his hands and backed away. Just then the orchestra's teacher, Mr. Hammell, came rushing in.

"What's going on here?" The fifty year old instructor rambled. "There's been a death! One of my students! Who is it?" He addressed the sheriff. His eyes turned to Deputy Parrish who fished the bow and cello from the pool and the high school teacher instantly knew who the victim was. "Santiago!" He put hands to his bald head. "I can't believe it! I can't!"

Sheriff Stilinski attempted to calm him down. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hammell. It's true…"

The music teacher got into the officer's face. "Don't say I'm sorry! Tell me what you're going to do about it! One my students was just murdered and you're standing here not doing anything!"

The sheriff exhaled. "Listen, Mr. Hammell, I realize you're upset. My department is doing everything it can to investigate the matter and bring this killer to justice."

Mr. Hammell snorted. "Everything?" His eyes rolled. "It doesn't seem that way to me! In last few weeks, we have some teenager deaths that have not been accounted for in this town! So far, nothing has been done about it. Now one my own students is murdered and you're giving me excuse!" His voice rose. "I DON'T WANT EXCUSES! I WANT RESULTS!"

Zen stepped in, stared at the older gentleman and locked eyes. A strange lull, that only he, Danny, and Mr. Hammell, could hear filled the music teacher's head. It was soft, inviting, soothing and calm. The hunter smiled at the angry man and started to speak.

"I know you're quite upset right now," he said in a very trance-like tone. "However, nothing can from being enraged over this incident. The sheriff is doing everything he can to bring Santiago's killer to justice. My advice is to go home, have a good cry, and prepare for your next music lessons."

Mr. Hammell slowly nodded. Spinning on his heels, he walked away. The sheriff was surprised by how quick the male Siren's power was but he was grateful that Zen used it on the upset instructor.

Sheriff Stilinski turned to Susan and Larry and signaled for Deputy Parrish to escort them home.

"What about the bow and cello?" The young officer asked his superior. "Shouldn't we bag and tag for evidence?"

"I'll do that." The Beacon Hills officer offered. "Could you please make sure these two get home safe, Justin?" He then turned to Zen and Danny. "I still have a few more questions for these two."

Justin Parrish followed his boss's orders and assisted Susan and Larry out of the pool area. Once everyone had left the premises, it gave the officer a chance to really interrogate the supernatural pair.

"Okay, Stiles, tells me you two are Sirens? Mermaids?" He scratched his head.

"Actually, Dad, Sirens are different from mermaids." Stiles corrected. "They're a lot shorter and look like big fish heads…"

"Stiles!" The sheriff shouted. "Let me do the questioning, okay?"

Stiles buttoned his lip and stayed quiet.

"I'm more the Siren." Zen confessed. "Danny hasn't quite gotten there yet."

"With good reason." The former goalie added. "I don't want to ascend yet. I don't see myself with a fish tail anytime soon."

Shaking his head, Sheriff Stilinski was confused. "Look, I'm already trying to figure out werewolves and banshees so let's not throw any more info about your supernatural abilities to me right now. My son has told me we've got some underwater monsters called Keres that feed on hearts because they need to survive and honor their god, Dragon?"

"Dagon." Stiles corrected him again. "He's this big sea god thing that made the Keres and the Sirens and the mermaids. The Keres do the eating hearts thing as a ritual to honor him. It's kind of gross but it's their M.O. Now Zen and Danny, they're more of the pacifist thing where once a month they need to drink this life force called essence underwater and give a peaceful death to their victims…"

"Stiles!" The sheriff warned him. "Step back and be quiet! I've got this!" He looked at Zen. "So you're also a hunter?"

Zen nodded. "A specially trained one for a holy order. I came here to investigate the dead pool list and to stop these Keres."

"Do you have any idea who they might be in disguise?" He asked him.

The hunter shook his head. "Still no clue. Though we have a couple of suspects."

"Like who?"

"My neighbors, Ralphy and Dina Kendrick." Danny suggested.

Sheriff Stilinski's eyes squinted. "The Kendricks? They've volunteered for the town's public services ball the last few years. Everyone from the mayor to the city councilman is friends with this couple!"

"Zen fought a pair of Keres a few nights ago." Danny responded. "He wounded one in the leg. Ralphy and Dina came over to my house last night and Ralphy had one of his legs bandaged. I think they're the Keres we're looking for."

The hunter nodded. "It just seems all too coincidental."

Frustrated, Sheriff Stilinski rubbed his forehead. "I can't assume that some married couple are supernatural based upon someone having a hurt leg. I twist my ankle running after bad guys all the time, it doesn't make me some psychotic mermaid."

"Keres." Zen corrected him this time. "They're more like demonic eels. Again, mermaids are the little people of the sea. They have huge fish heads and big eyes…"

"Never mind!" The sheriff snapped. "The fact is that I can't issue a warrant on a couple without just cause. Even Stiles would agree with me." He turned to his son that was behind him to notice him gone. "Stiles?"

Bored, the hyperactive teen went to the other side of the pool to play with the wet cello that Deputy Parrish had pulled out earlier. He picked up the drenched instrument and held the bow as he stroked a string across the center. A screeching tone ripped through Zen's and Danny's ear as they winced for a minute and glanced at each other with surprise.

"Did you hear that?" Zen asked his lover.

Danny nodded. "It's like the bowstring needs some a lot of fine tuning."

"No." The hunter mentioned. "Didn't you notice something different in the sound?"

Danny did. It was a weird, hollow sound, like something was interfering with the string. It did not vibrate right due to some obstruction. Sheriff shifted his gaze to Stiles who was messing with the cello and screamed at him.

"STILES! LEAVE THAT CELLO ALONE! IT'S EVIDENCE!"

Stiles sighed and gently put down the bow and cello as Danny and Zen went over to examine the musical instrument further.

Zen started first. He took the cello from Stiles, plucked the last string of the object while holding the pegs of the scroll. It vibrated strangely as the sound came off weird that he toyed with another octave and plucked it again. This time something did happen as the end pin forked out to reveal a sharp blade underneath. He turned to Danny who held the bow.

"Danny, pluck the string of the bow at the same octave that I just played."

He did. He strummed the single string and saw a blade poke out of the end.

"Holy crap!" Danny gasped. "It looks like a switchblade."

Sheriff Stilinski approached the two boys. He saw the makeshift weapons and his mouth dropped. "Why would a sophomore need a hidden blade in his musical instruments?"

Stiles came up with a theory. "Unless he's another killer trying to make money off the deaths on the dead pool list, copycat or not?"

"That'll explain how he was able to get inside the locked gate without a key." The Beacon Hills officer assumed. "If he's an experienced killer, then he's able to get jump the gate and getting into a closed facility."

Zen disagreed. "No, there's something else." He plucked a different string on the cello; this time, the instrument the pegs turned slightly. A tiny compartment on the back of scroll opened up to reveal a tiny small symbol inside. It bore a cross with a tiny cup at the center. Sheriff Stilinski walked over to the teen and glanced at it.

"A carving?" He noted. "What is it?"

"A seal." Zen explained. "A hunter's seal. The same symbol that identifies each clan. The same one that refers to my organization. Santiago was a…"

"Paladin." Danny finished his sentence. He looked at his lover. "Did you know?"

Zen shook his head. "The Council of the Holy Order prefers to work in secret. They'll employ covert agents to ensure that their mission objectives are completed. We all don't know which operatives are in their employ." He returned his gaze back to the seal. "If Santiago Cordova was a Paladin agent, then he must have found a way to get over the pool fence and went searching for one of the Keres. Obviously, the monster found him first."

"Then that really doesn't help us." The Beacon Hills officer sighed. "We have a dead hunter and a pair of Keres still on the loose. This isn't really helping us with this copycat dead pool thing."

The hunter agreed. "Hopefully, Scott and Argent have better luck." Carefully putting back the blades back inside the bow and cello, he handed the evidence back to the sheriff.

"Do you think they'll get a lead on this thing?" Stile's father wondered.

Zen shrugged. "I hope so because right now we're out of options."

* * *

_The Argent Penthouse_

Scott McCall stood behind Chris Argent as the laptop remained on the desk table while the hunter repeated inputted various encryption codes. They tried everything from using familiar names of friends and loved ones before stepping back to take a breather.

"Are you sure Lydia can't try to come up with an encryption key on this one?" The Alpha suggested.

The Argent shook his head. "No. We're talking a copycat file. The original was meant for a banshee to figure out. This one is regular human ingenuity. I contacted some friends from other hunter groups and they've experienced the same issues with the P.A.C.T. They're networking various Benefactors within their region to do their dirty work and to throw everyone off the trail. We just need the right codes to break into the webpage file."

Scott offered his ideas. "Have you tried Allison or even Boyd?"

Chris sighed. "I've tried everyone that died that was closest to us. Allison, Boyd, Erica. Even my late wife, Victoria. I've even tried every living from Jackson to Cora Hale. Nothing is breaking into the encryption key. It's someone or something that isn't so obvious."

The werewolf folded his arms and thought for a moment. "What if we tried things that weren't so obvious? Type in the word siren."

The hunter's hands tapped away on the keyboard. The following response flashed.

_Password Error._

Chris then typed in P.A.C.T.

_Password Error._

He then tried both Danny's and Zen's names.

Both came up _Password Error._

"Nothing." He replied in frustration. "Zen said that when he hacked into the system for part of the list, he had used familiar names. Maybe, we used ideas that aren't so familiar. What do the dead pool list and Sirens have in common?"

Scott made an observation. "They mentioned Danny's name on the copycat list which is strange especially since he hasn't become a full Siren yet."

"Hmm," Chris mumbled. He typed in the word Mahealani and still came up with an error message. "There's obviously something we're getting close to but we just can't put our finger on it. Zen said he came from Hawaii and that the copycat list was generated around his locale to hunt supernatural beings there. Danny has never been to the place of his birth because his father wanted to take him away from his mother and brother. Maybe the two are related which might give us clue to an encryption key."

A thought bubble came into Scott's head. "Hey, wait a minute. Back when Stiles and I joined the lacrosse team and we met Danny, he would get teased a lot by the players for us not being able to pronounce his last name. Danny said that it was a portmanteau, a combination of meanings. Mahealani in Hawaiian means hazy sky. Try those two words."

Chris Argent took a chance. His fingers stroked the keyboard with the words hazysky.

The encryption key was accepted.

A dozen symbols, letters, and numbers appeared on the screen. The hunter and the Alpha leaned in closer to glance at the information filling the monitor of the laptop. Their eyes scrolled the data as they saw the copycat dead pool list being filled with new names and, more importantly, a money trail.

"We're in!" The Argent grinned. He skimmed through the list until his eyes fixated to a private messaging file that was saved on the site. He clicked on it.

Immediately, it opened to reveal a long e-mailed message.

_Mr. Mahealani,_

_Thank you for successfully completing your mission objective. With your help, the Alpha and his pack were eliminated through the information you provided for their location. As promised, ten million dollars has been deposited into your account. We have also set aside two million for you son, Danny, for his assistance in retrieving the two hundred million from the secret vault of Paul Montgomery's pack six months ago. The Alpha, in question, has already been dealt with. One of our hired killers has removed the threat._

Chris paused for a moment. "Paul Montgomery? He's the Alpha that Zen killed in Hawaii!" He returned to his reading.

_Please note that a second Benefactor has created an original hit-list to handle the supernatural threats of Beacon Hills. You are expected to have little to no contact with this person and concentrate on the elimination of the other candidates named on your list. In addition, we expect your son to assist us in removing the issue of our adversaries, the local hunters around Beacon Hills: the Argents and the Cavaleras._

_Let us know of your of your plans as soon as possible. We will keep you updated._

_Sincerely,_

_The P.A.C.T._

Chris moved away from the table for moment as he had to take in the shocking information for a moment. Even Scott was floored.

"Danny?" The Alpha's eyes widened. "He's in on this too?"

The Argent frowned. "It appears that way. Danny and his father, Mr. Mahealani. He's the ringleader and the copycat benefactor."

"We have to tell Stiles, Zen, everyone!" Scott panicked.

Chris calmed him down. "Not just yet. We can't let the Mahealani's know that we know. Let me make some calls and we'll play this right. Mark my words, Scott, we will get Danny and his father and we'll find out what they know. For now, let me handle it."

Scott agreed. The only problem was how he was going to inform everyone one else of Danny's betrayal.


	9. Chapter 9

_Aiwa Lake_

7:00 p.m. appeared on Zen's watch. He pulled the rental car, accompanied by Danny in the passenger's seat next to him, toward the edge of the lake where the murders of the college boys took place one week ago. Yellow caution tape still surrounded the area that displayed signs of the sheriff's department continually investigating the location but no concrete evidence had yet to turn up.

Zen stopped the car near the embankment and turned off the ignition. He and Danny got out of the vehicle to where the hunter pulled out a flashlight and began to search the shoreline.

"What are you looking for?" The former goalie asked the Siren.

"Any clues that the Keres left behind." Zen responded. "Sheriff Stilinski and his men might have combed the site but I think they might have missed something."

Danny whipped out his own flashlight and tried to search around. He remembered the murder scene quite well. It was the location where those drunken frat boys drugged and tried to sexually assault him. It gave him chills. He shivered.

Sensing his fears, Zen questioned the lad. "You okay?"

The teen folded his arms and shook. "Yeah, just a little weirded out. This place gives me some bad memories."

Casting his eyes down, the hunter sighed. "You mean when that meathead Mark and his friends tried to rape you?"

Danny's mouth dropped. "How? How? How do you know about that?"

Zen slowly approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I was there. I was watching over you."

Then the teen remembered. The darting shadow that rescued him from those boys and tossed them around like a sack of potatoes that was him! Zen was his rescuer.

"You!" Danny gasped. "You were the one that saved me?"

Exhaling, Zen nodded. "I felt bad the other night after we left things unresolved at the club. That kiss…It reminded me too much of David. His death was still fresh in my mind. I needed some time to think. When I found the courage to come back and talk to you, you had gone off with those college boys. I could sense that something was off about them so I followed you to this part of the lake. I watched as they slipped something into your beer and then tried to mess with you. I stepped in before anything could happen."

Danny felt a knot his stomach. "You were the one who protected me? You rescued me!"

Reaching a hand over to feel the teen's face, the hunter exhaled. "I couldn't let them hurt you. I couldn't let anyone hurt you." He leaned and connected his mouth to Danny's. The former goalie did not protest; he did not him away. A feeling of comfort and warmth filled their bellies as their arms wrapped around and allowed the mouths to speak for themselves. This was where they wanted to be.

A minute passed and Danny broke away.

"But some Keres got to them afterwards," Danny concluded. "How did I end up getting home? Dina and Ralphy said they found them in my car at the club. Did you drive me there or did they purposely take me home after they killed those guys?"

Zen twisted his lips. "Danny, there's something you need to know about the Kendricks. They are…"

His voice stopped. Noticing the hunter appearing alarmed, Danny walked up to the young man.

"Zen, what is it?"

"Shh." Zen shook his hand and whispered. "We've got company. Don't you hear it?"

Danny opened up his ears. He heard crickets chirping all around him as the darkness surrounded them. He heard the hooting of owls but more importantly, he listened carefully to hear something moving sneakily through the woods. The rustling of leaves and the break of twig caught his attention. Turning his face toward the sound of the crunching of boots squashing the grass, he heard something whizzing and a panicked Zen rushing toward him. The hunter's arms wrapped around his torso, crash his head into his abdomen, and drag him crashing down into the dirt.

"DUCK!"

Danny's eyes glanced up to see an arrow narrowly miss their faces and strike the trunk of a tree nearby. Another came zooming passed them as Zen quickly got up to his knees, grab a hold of his arms, and drag him out of the path of the oncoming shaft that almost struck the both of them. Scrambling to their feet, they quickly ran toward the tree trunk for cover as a third arrow connected to the bark and embedded itself in the wood.

"Keres?" The young man's voice was breathless.

Shrugging his shoulders, Zen quickly grabbed the tiny arrow from the bark. "I don't know." He examined the projectile object in his hand. "Whoever it is knows how to use a crossbow." He felt for the tiny blade behind his back pocket and pulled it out. "Damn, I wish I brought my jian with me or a gun." His fingers clutched both the small knife and arrow in both hands. "I guess I'll have to make do with these."

Another arrow flew through the air and struck the ground nearby. Zen gestured to Danny who tried to comprehend his plan.

"It looks like there's only one assailant." The hunter informed him. "I'll be the distraction and you run like hell toward the car. Don't stop and don't look behind you. I'll keep the focus on me."

Danny agreed and crouched down behind the tree as Zen gave the signal to run. When the countdown began, the Siren called the final number and dashed out into the open. The sound of arrow shot through their air. Zen saw it coming, lunged forward and hit the ground into a crawl. The object struck the dirt a few inches away which allowed Danny the opportunity to head toward their rental vehicle.

His shoes kicked up dirt as he ran. He heard another zing of an arrow heading toward the Siren's direction and prayed that Zen was all right. Heeding his lover's words, Danny did not look back as he came a few feet toward the front passenger door before a large hulking figure came out of the shadows. The teen stopped dead in tracks, watched as the light of the moon illuminate his face before he recognized the muscular man aiming a crossbow at him.

It was Gio, the bouncer from the nightclub The Jungle.

Danny gasped. "Gio? You're a Keres?"

A sneer came from the brutish man's mouth. "I don't know what that it is, Danny boy, but you're worth millions and so is your boyfriend. I and my friends need the money so no hard feelings." The teen watched as Gio steadied his finger around the crossbow trigger. He gulped as another shadow dashed from the trees.

It was female, blonde, attractive and deadly. Wearing all black, Dina Kendrick tossed a knife at Gio's hand. It sliced his wrist and forced him to drop his crossbow. Then she stared at Danny and screamed.

"HIT THE DECK!"

Danny cowered to the ground. A guttural sound came up from behind him as he covered his head and face, felt something breeze over the top of him, and quickly shifted his gaze to another killer standing a few feet behind him with a crossbow in his hands. A dagger protruded from his bleeding throat from where Dina had thrown her weapon at him and the stranger dropped dead in the dirt near the frightened teen.

Taking a second to breathe, Danny quickly got up and tried to still head for the car but a fight ensued between Dina and a wounded Gio as the pair engaged in a knife fight right in front of the terrified young man. Despite being physically smaller than the muscular Gio, the blonde woman proved to be a capable fighter. She dodged the bouncer's attempts of stabbing her with his blade as she managed to kick away his weapon with her feet and land a right hook to his face. Though dazed from the punch, Gio managed to gain his composure, dismantle the last of Dina's knives with his hands before grabbing her throat with both hands and slamming her against the rental vehicle. His strong hands squeezed her throat as she tried to gasp for air but the brute resorted to strangling the life out of his victim.

Without a moment to lose, Danny saw a large rock nearby. He grabbed the stone, raced behind the bouncer and slammed it hard against the back of Gio's head. Blood caked the rock as the muscle man instantly released a coughing Dina and allowed her to knockout her opponent with an uppercut to the face. The Jungle bouncer collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Dina soothed the soreness of her throat as she nodded to her savior, Danny. "Thanks. That douche was strong."

"No problem." He managed to smile. He glanced at Gio and the dead man. "Who are these guys?"

"Just some potential idiot killers trying to make money off the dead pool list." She answered. "They're way in over their head."

Danny scratched his head. "Then how do you fit into all this?" He wondered.

She was about to explain when both heard the whizzing of an arrow a yard away near the lake. Danny's eyes widened.

"Oh my God! Zen!"

Pulling him by the arm, Dina raced toward the battlefield. The pair took cover behind a tree trunk as they watched a wounded Zen with an arrow in his shoulder dodge an attack by a third killer who kept firing projectiles at him. Helpless in an open field, Zen went for his final option.

The Lake.

With another arrow narrowly missing him, the hunter yanked the sharp object out of his shoulder and dove right in. He splashed around toward the deep end as the assailant approached with his weapon and continued to target him around the water. However, not matter how much assassin fired, the murkiness of the lake protected the Siren from getting killed.

The killer waited patiently for Zen to surface. His feet edged the bank of the lake and when saw something bubbling from the water; he prepared his crossbow to fire another round. The underwater creature finally rose. Unfortunately, it was not the Siren but a large tentacle that shot out and wrapped the assassin in its scaly embrace. It dragged the killer inside the water and underneath the waves while Dina and Danny watched and observed the third assailant being attacked by a Keres.

"Damn!" The blonde woman spat. "I didn't expect one to be near here!"

Danny glared at Dina. "You know about the Keres?"

Dina started to speak when something splashed from the surface. Danny adjusted his eyes and finally saw Zen in his true Siren form. Slender, scaly, pale, gills and with black eyes and a double lower eyelid, he watched in both morbid fascination and awe at the legendary creature. His fishtail splashed as he carried the body of the last killer across the lake, noticed the eerie glow surrounding the attacker, and observed as Zen opened his mouth and drew in the strange light from his lips. He instantly knew what it was.

Essence.

The wound on the Siren's shoulder slowly started to heal as Zen released the lifeless body of the killer and allowed it to float back toward the embankment. The hunter took a minute to embrace his fully healed body but quickly got back into action as the Keres popped out of the water and tried to attack him with its tentacles. Just as described by his lover, Danny absorbed the features of the creature. Feral, grotesque, with black eyes, sharp teeth, tentacles and a serpentine tail, the Keres dove for the Siren before something else leaped out of the lake and grabbed the monster by the neck.

It was a second creature, monstrous and strange, but more humanoid in appearance. It had a beaklike mouth, scales, cold gray eyes, and looked like a cross between a salamander and a frog. Small bits of hair formed around its head as its webbed claws wrestled the Keres while its own reptile tail whipped against the serpent's. Bits of electrical voltage shocked the second creature who released a loud shriek but managed to still hold on fast to its prey. As the Keres's tentacles lashed out at the thing, it managed to squeeze tightly around the eel's throat with it webbed claws until a final snap echoed far across the water. The Keres finally stopped struggling as both the sea monster and the Siren carried their dead enemy toward the lake's shoreline.

Danny swallowed as he watch the two creatures revert back to human form and drag the body of the Keres back to land. He observed the pair and noticed the Siren becoming a naked Zen and the monster turning into a bare skinned human that he recognized. Muscular and with a large scab across his right thigh, he knew who the bizarre creature was.

Dina's husband, Ralphy Kendrick.

The teenager stared at Dina and gasped. "Wh…What are you two?"

The blonde woman smirked. "Ralphy is a water sprite. A kappa." She paused for moment. "Me? I'm a magical seal. A selkie."

She reached behind her back, pulled out a syringe and injected it into the neck of the teenager. Danny crumbled to the ground.

He watched through his blurred vision as Dina stood above him as she spoke.

"And you, Danny boy, are a liability. You betrayed your people. You could have ascended to the form of a true Siren but instead you shame our creator Dagon by bringing about the hit-list to murder us all. That is unforgivable, Danny. Therefore, you and your father must pay for your crimes."

Danny's words slurred in his speech. "Why…why…? I thought…you were…Keres…"

Dina grinned. "We're not Keres. We're hunters like Zen. We're Paladins. We protect the innocent, including the supernatural ones. You, Danny Mahealani, are not so innocent. Therefore, you must pay for your crimes. You and your father must die!"

Weakened and exhausted, he felt the effects of the sedative. He closed his eyes and finally submitted. However, he wanted to say his final words.

"I'm sorry."


End file.
